Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Positive | Neutral |
Relating to the cancellation of the voter registration of a person finally convicted of a felony.
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
HB 3578 would require the convicting court, in the trial of a felony offense, to make an affirmative finding that the defendant has been found guilty of a felony, enter the finding in the judgment of the case, issue an order that the defendant's voter registration be canceled, and send that order to the secretary of state. The secretary of state would then determine if the person named in the order is a registered voter in Texas and, if so, forward the order to the appropriate registrar. The registrar would be required to cancel a voter's registration immediately upon receipt of such an order.
Maintaining the integrity of elections is a core responsibility of government. Felons are prohibited from voting unless their voting rights have been restored. It is consistent with maintaining the integrity of elections to ensure that people prohibited from voting are removed from voter rolls. For this reason we support HB 3578.