HB3775 - Relating to processing early voting ballots voted by mail.

  89R23194 TSS-D     By: Paul H.B. No. 3775     Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3775:     By:  Shaheen C.S.H.B. No. 3775       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to processing early voting ballots voted by mail.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 87.0241(b), Election Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (b)  The board may not open a ballot envelope of an accepted   voter or count early voting ballots until:                (1)  the polls open on election day; [ or ]                (2)  in an election conducted by an authority of a   county with a population of at least 100,000 but less than 1 million   [ or more ], or conducted jointly with such a county or conducted with   such a county through a contract for election services, the end of   the period for early voting by personal appearance ; or                 (3)     in an election conducted by an authority of a   county with a population of 1 million or more, or conducted jointly   with such a county or conducted with such a county through a   contract for election services, 7 a.m. on the sixth day before   election day .          SECTION 2.  Section 87.042, Election Code, is amended by   amending Subsections (a) and (d) and adding Subsection (e) to read   as follows:          (a)  The early voting ballot board shall open each carrier   envelope containing an accepted ballot without defacing the   certificate on the carrier envelope and remove without opening the   ballot envelope from the carrier envelope.          (d)  An accepted ballot that was not returned in the official   ballot envelope shall be treated as an accepted ballot that was   returned in the ballot envelope and may be placed in an empty   envelope .           (e)     The board shall maintain chain of custody paperwork that   accounts for the correct number of accepted ballots and envelopes   placed into the ballot box or container as required by Subsection   (b) or (c) or Section 87.044(b), as applicable.   When the container   is sealed, the paperwork must be signed by:                 (1)  the presiding judge;                 (2)     a member of the board who is a member of a   different political party from the presiding judge; and                 (3)     at least one poll watcher, if present during the   session.          SECTION 3.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to   an election held on or after the effective date of this Act.  An   election held before the effective date of this Act is governed by   the law in effect when the election was held, and that law is   continued in effect for that purpose.          SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.