| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to creation of the offense of registering to vote by |
|
|
persons who are not citizens of the United States. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 13, Election Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 13.008 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 13.008. UNLAWFUL APPLICATION BY PERSON WHO IS NOT |
|
|
UNITED STATES CITIZEN. (a) A person commits an offense if the |
|
|
person is not a citizen of the United States and the person: |
|
|
(1) submits an application for registration as a voter |
|
|
in this state; or |
|
|
(2) requests, commands, or attempts to induce another |
|
|
to submit on the person's behalf a registration application. |
|
|
(b) An offense under this section is a state jail felony. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 13.122(a), Election Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a) In addition to the other statements and spaces for |
|
|
entering information that appear on an officially prescribed |
|
|
registration application form, each official form must include: |
|
|
(1) the statement: "I understand that giving false |
|
|
information to procure a voter registration is perjury and a crime |
|
|
under state and federal law and that submitting a voter |
|
|
registration as a noncitizen is also a crime under state law."; |
|
|
(2) a space for the applicant's registration number; |
|
|
(3) a space for the applicant's Texas driver's license |
|
|
number or number of a personal identification card issued by the |
|
|
Department of Public Safety; |
|
|
(4) a space for the applicant's telephone number; |
|
|
(5) a space for the applicant's social security |
|
|
number; |
|
|
(6) a space for the applicant's sex; |
|
|
(7) a statement indicating that the furnishing of the |
|
|
applicant's telephone number and sex is optional; |
|
|
(8) a space or box for indicating whether the |
|
|
applicant or voter is submitting new registration information or a |
|
|
change in current registration information; |
|
|
(9) a statement instructing a voter who is using the |
|
|
form to make a change in current registration information to enter |
|
|
the voter's name and the changed information in the appropriate |
|
|
spaces on the form; |
|
|
(10) a statement that if the applicant declines to |
|
|
register to vote, that fact will remain confidential and will be |
|
|
used only for voter registration purposes; |
|
|
(11) a statement that if the applicant does register |
|
|
to vote, information regarding the agency or office to which the |
|
|
application is submitted will remain confidential and will be used |
|
|
only for voter registration purposes; |
|
|
(12) a space or box for indicating whether the |
|
|
applicant is interested in working as an election judge; |
|
|
(13) a statement warning that a conviction of an |
|
|
offense under this code [for making a false statement] may result in |
|
|
imprisonment for up to the maximum amount of time provided by law, a |
|
|
fine of up to the maximum amount provided by law, or both the |
|
|
imprisonment and the fine; and |
|
|
(14) any other voter registration information |
|
|
required by federal law or considered appropriate and required by |
|
|
the secretary of state. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |