Bill Caption

Relating to the management of polling place locations during a continuous period for voting.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

Bill Analysis

SB 2232 would modify voting dates by removing the gap between early voting and election day, allowing early voting to start the 14th day before election day and ending when the polls open for election day. This would effectively create one continuous two week election period.

SB 2232 would update the process of managing polling locations in order to ensure the security and integrity of elections. 

The bill would require the presiding election judge of a polling place, immediately before the opening of the polling place, to ensure that the public counter on any voting machine has been reset to zero and to print the tape that shows the counter was reset to zero and that shows the summary for each candidate and measure on the ballot for each voting machine is set to zero.

At the end of the voting period, the presiding election judge would be required to print the tape to show the summary for each candidate or ballot measure for each voting machine. The tape would have to be signed by the precinct election judge and an election official aligned with a different political party.

The bill would authorize a county clerk or commissioners court to open additional polling places if the county clerk or commissioners court determines more polling places are needed but not to close a polling place before the end of the election period.   

Finally, SB 2232 would require a piece of electronic voting machine equipment and any associated memory card to be securely isolated until the end of the election period if the equipment fails and is taken out of service during the election period. 

Vote Recommendation Notes

Texas Action supports SB 2232 because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by securing Texas elections.  The bill would allow election authorities to open new polling places if they deem that more locations are necessary, take extra steps to secure and add transparency to the use of electronic voting equipment. These common sense provisions would make it easier and more secure to vote in-person, which is arguably the most secure method of voting.