HB1802 - Relating to voter registration; creating criminal offenses.

  89R3000 PRL-D     By: Leo Wilson H.B. No. 1802       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to voter registration; creating criminal offenses.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 13.002(c), Election Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (c)  A registration application must include:                (1)  the applicant's first name, middle name, if any,   last name, and former name, if any;                (2)  the month, day, and year of the applicant's birth;                (3)  a statement that the applicant is a United States   citizen;                (4)  a statement that the applicant is a resident of the   county;                (5)  a statement that the applicant has not been   determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate   jurisdiction to be:                      (A)  totally mentally incapacitated; or                      (B)  partially mentally incapacitated without the   right to vote;                (6)  a statement that the applicant has not been   finally convicted of a felony or that the applicant is a felon   eligible for registration under Section 13.001;                (7)  the applicant's residence address or, if the   residence has no address, the address at which the applicant   receives mail and a concise description of the location of the   applicant's residence;                (8)  [ the following information:                      [ (A) ]  the applicant's Texas driver's license   number or the number of a personal identification card issued by the   Department of Public Safety;                      [ (B)     if the applicant has not been issued a   number described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the   applicant's social security number; or                      [ (C)     a statement by the applicant that the   applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or   (B); ]                (9)  if the application is made by an agent, a statement   of the agent's relationship to the applicant; and                (10)  the city and county in which the applicant   formerly resided.          SECTION 2.  Subchapter A, Chapter 13, Election Code, is   amended by adding Section 13.0071 to read as follows:           Sec.   13.0071.     ILLEGAL REGISTRATION. (a)   A person commits   an offense if the person knowingly or intentionally:                 (1)  applies to register as a voter in this state; and                 (2)  is not a United States citizen.           (b)     An offense under this section is a felony of the second   degree.           (c)     If conduct that constitutes an offense under this   section also constitutes an offense under any other law, the actor   may be prosecuted under this section, the other law, or both.          SECTION 3.  Section 13.072, Election Code, is amended by   amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as   follows:          (a)  Unless the registrar challenges the applicant, the   registrar shall approve the application if:                (1)  the registrar determines that an application   complies with Section 13.002 and indicates that the applicant is   eligible for registration; [ and ]                (2)  [ for an applicant who has not included a statement   described by Section 13.002(c)(8)(C), ] the registrar verifies with   the secretary of state [ :                      [ (A) ]  the applicant's Texas driver's license   number or number of a personal identification card issued by the   Department of Public Safety; and                 (3)  the registrar verifies the applicant's citizenship     [ or                      [ (B)     the last four digits of the applicant's   social security number ].           (a-1)     The secretary of state shall prescribe any procedures   necessary to verify the citizenship of an applicant as required   under Subsection (a)(3).          SECTION 4.  Section 13.122(a), Election Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (a)  In addition to the other statements and spaces for   entering information that appear on an officially prescribed   registration application form, each official form must include:                (1)  the statement:  "I understand that giving false   information to procure a voter registration is perjury and a crime   under state and federal law.";                (2)  a space for the applicant's registration number;                (3)  a space for the applicant's Texas driver's license   number or number of a personal identification card issued by the   Department of Public Safety;                (4)  a space for the applicant's telephone number;                (5)  [ a space for the applicant's social security   number;                [ (6) ]  a space for the applicant's sex;                 (6)  [ (7) ]  a statement indicating that the furnishing   of the applicant's telephone number and sex is optional;                 (7)  [ (8) ]  a space or box for indicating whether the   applicant or voter is submitting new registration information or a   change in current registration information;                 (8)  [ (9) ]  a statement instructing a voter who is using   the form to make a change in current registration information to   enter the voter's name and the changed information in the   appropriate spaces on the form;                 (9)  [ (10) ]  a statement that if the applicant declines   to register to vote, that fact will remain confidential and will be   used only for voter registration purposes;                 (10)  [ (11) ]  a statement that if the applicant does   register to vote, information regarding the agency or office to   which the application is submitted will remain confidential and   will be used only for voter registration purposes;                 (11)  [ (12) ]  a space or box for indicating whether the   applicant is interested in working as an election judge;                 (12)  [ (13) ]  a statement warning that a conviction for   making a false statement may result in imprisonment for up to the   maximum amount of time provided by law, a fine of up to the maximum   amount provided by law, or both the imprisonment and the fine; and                 (13)  [ (14) ]  any other voter registration information   required by federal law or considered appropriate and required by   the secretary of state.          SECTION 5.  Section 16.031(a), Election Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (a)  The registrar shall cancel a voter's registration   immediately on receipt of:                (1)  notice under Section 13.072(b), 15.021, or   18.0681(d) or a response under Section 15.053 that the voter's   residence is outside the county;                (2)  an abstract of the voter's death certificate under   Section 16.001(a) or an abstract of an application indicating that   the voter is deceased under Section 16.001(b);                (3)  an abstract of a final judgment of the voter's   total mental incapacity, partial mental incapacity without the   right to vote, conviction of a felony, or disqualification under   Section 16.002, 16.003, or 16.004;                (4)  notice under Section 112.012 that the voter has   applied for a limited ballot in another county;                (5)  notice from a voter registration official in   another state that the voter has registered to vote outside this   state;                (6)  notice from the early voting clerk under Section   101.053 that a federal postcard application submitted by an   applicant states a voting residence address located outside the   registrar's county; or                (7)  notice from the secretary of state that the voter   has registered to vote in another county, as determined by the   voter's driver's license number or personal identification card   number issued by the Department of Public Safety [ or social   security number ].          SECTION 6.  Sections 84.002(a) and (b-1), Election Code, are   amended to read as follows:          (a)  An early voting ballot application must include:                (1)  the applicant's name and the address at which the   applicant is registered to vote;                (1-a)  for an applicant registered to vote under Chapter   13 before September 1, 2025,  the following information:                      (A)  the number of the applicant's driver's   license, election identification certificate, or personal   identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety;                      (B)  if the applicant has not been issued a number   described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's   social security number; or                      (C)  a statement by the applicant that the   applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or   (B);                 (1-b) for an applicant registered to vote under Chapter   13 on or after September 1, 2025, the number of the applicant's   driver's license, election identification certificate, or personal   identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety;                (2)  for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail   on the ground of absence from the county of residence, the address   outside the applicant's county of residence to which [Text truncated for display. 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