HBA-MSH H.B. 1432 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1432 By: Madden Elections 4/16/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, a person is eligible for early voting by mail if the voter is 65 years of age or older on election day. Increases in life expectancy have caused the number of people in this group to grow, increasing the logistical difficulty of processing mail-in ballots. Also, current law does not require a person submitting an application for early voting to attest to citizenship and eligibility for early voting by mail, and does not necessarily require a delivery receipt for a mail-in ballot envelope to be signed and dated by the voter. This may decrease the security of a mail-in ballot envelope. House Bill 1432 sets forth provisions relating to early voting by mail. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 1432 amends the Election Code to provide that a qualified voter is eligible for early voting by mail if the voter is 70 rather than 65 years of age or older on election day. The bill specifies that the officially prescribed application form for an early voting ballot must include immediately preceding the signature space the statement: "I certify that I am a United States citizen and a legal resident of Texas, and that I am otherwise eligible for early voting by mail in accordance with the Election Code." The bill provides that the carrier envelope used to return a marked ballot must be accompanied by an individual delivery receipt that is signed and dated by the voter. The bill prohibits a delivery of carrier envelopes if the delivery originates from the address of a political action group or agent employed by or working for or on behalf of a political party, candidate, or representative of a candidate. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.