Strengthen Election Integrity
In the 87th session, Texas Legislators addressed several concerns regarding the integrity of the ballot box. Through numerous reforms, legislation was passed that increased penalties for voter fraud, provided additional oversight in the election process, and required voting systems to be manufactured in the United States. The legislature enacted a number of reforms that will increase trust in the Texas election process.
Election Integrity Protection Act of 2021 - SENATE BILL 1 passed in the 87th Second Called Session, enacts several reforms to address concerns related to election integrity. The bill expands the number of voting hours in statute, provides protection for poll watchers, and creates additional offenses for individuals involved in the process of voter fraud.
HOUSE BILL 2283 prohibits the joint elections commission, county election commission, and county election board from accepting a contribution over $1,000 offered by a private individual, a corporation, a partnership, a trust, or another third party under most circumstances.
SENATE BILL 1387 requires a voting system used in an election in Texas to be manufactured, stored, and held in the United States by a company headquartered in the United States.
SENATE BILL 598 implements and requires “risk-limiting audits” of statewide elections starting in September of 2026, with a pilot program conducted beginning with the election taking place in November 2022.
HOUSE BILL 1264 helps ensure that voter rolls remain accurate by narrowing the window in which a deceased person will remain listed. Reporting will be required as soon as possible, but no later than the 7th day after the death certificate is prepared.
HOUSE BILL 3920 expands eligibility to vote by mail to pregnant women expecting to give birth within 3 weeks surrounding Election Day, while clarifying what is and is not a disability and requires affirmation of a statement that the voter is not abusing the vote by mail process.
SENATE BILL 1111 creates a requirement and process for verifying that a person who registers to vote uses an address that is actually the person’s residence, which is already required by law. Upon receiving notice of a residence discrepancy, a person has 30 days to respond with any of a number of documents to confirm residence, such as a driver’s license or a utility bill.
SENATE BILL 13 The United States Census Bureau has delayed delivery of the 2020 redistricting data to the states. Senate Bill 13 adjusts the timeline for the 2022 election cycle to account for this delay by allowing additional time for legislative action, giving the legislature an opportunity to carry out its redistricting duty using the census data. The bill sets new dates for the candidate filing period, primary election, and primary runoff election in the 2022 election cycle based on when the new redistricting plans become law.