Early on the morning of May 7, the Texas House passed a bill that makes it a felony for anyone to give anyone else an application for an absentee ballot, if the recipient had not first requested it. See this story. The bill is not yet through the legislature because the Senate version differs.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
Sounds like a victimless crime to me.
Victimless crime, yes, but not a Victimless law.
WHAT SAYETH HR 1 ???
WILL BIDEN DECLARE TX IN A STATE OF REBELLION VS THE USA ???
IE START OF CIVIL WAR II OVER ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS ???
Hr 1 sayeth nada, for hr 1 be headed for the Grim Reaper’s elephant graveyard in ye olde caucasoid Senate. Biden shall sit and stew, for there is nothing the old ass can do.
That sounds ridiculous. Anyone and/or any voter can download an absentee voter application off the WEB. So what if you give it to someone. Will giving someone a campaign brochure without them asking for it be outlawed next???
Good point Bigdaddlvsu.
So if someone downloads an application for their 90 year old mom (without asking for it first), are they violating the law?
WILL THE VARIOUS FASCIST REGIMES BAN AV APPS FROM BEING ON THE INTERNET ???
IN THE REPTILE/SPIDER BRAINS OF ALL INCUMBENTS —
DO ALL THINGS POSSIBLE TO STOP/DEFEAT ANY OPPOSITION.
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PR
APPV
TOTSOP
The stupid…it hurts!
@RW,
Your description is false.
The limitation is for public officials acting in their official capacity. A voter can call the election office and have them send them an application. The election officials can post the form on their website and have voters print the form, fill it out and send it in. Election officials acting in their personal capacity may send out applications.
It is quite ordinary for political parties and candidates to send out applications.
In 2020 the Harris County tried to induce me to commit a criminal offense by sending me an application to vote by mail.
WHAT STATE HAS THE WORST ANTI-DEMOCRACY BUNCH OF REPTILE/SPIDER BRAINED GERRYMANDER HACKS ???
TX ???
CA ???
FL ???
NY ???
ETC ETC.
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PR
APPV
TOTSOP
Why would it be a criminal offence? Did you already vote early in person when you received it?
If so, they may have presumed that people would know not to vote twice. They should have included a warning that the ballot would be void if you already voted. And if you attempted to use it anyway, they should have been able to match you up with their list of those who had voted, stamped it void and returned it as such or a copy of the void notice.
Jim, could you comment again with a link to the bill’s language? Thank you.
@Brody,
In Texas, you can’t participate in the nomination activities of more than one party. I had participated in the nomination activities of the Libertarian party.
I am more knowledgeable about Texas election law than many election officials. I was unlikely to be tricked into illegally voting.
But there may well be others who would think that if a government official invited them to vote it was OK.
State election officials should be neutral. They should not be promoting activies of one putatively private group to the detriment of competing private groups.
I definitely agree with the last part. Maybe the problem is the state administration of partisan nomination activities. It seems to me that is something parties should finance and oversee themselves.
@RW,
This was HB 7 as reported by the House Elections Committee
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00007H.htm
There were floor amendments. The text of the amendments are available but it will be easier to wait for the engrossed version. The amendments will not be more restrictive.
The particular section of interest is in Section 5.04 of the bill, which adds Section 276.016 to the Election Code.
Subsection (a) limits the scope to public officials acting in a public capacity.
Subsection (c) provides an exception for posting the form online.
Subsection (d) provides an exception if the election official is witnessing an application by a voter who is unable to sign their name.
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=SB7
text tab
https://my.lwv.org/texas/article/texas-voters-have-lost-today
TX LWV on SB7 in TX H REPS