SB1862

More complete former-address information: a Texas registration application must include the previous residence address, including city and county, rather than just the former city and county. If the application indicates that residence was outside Texas, the registrar documents the applicant’s full legal name, birth date, current residence address and previous residence address. Final law, Sections 1–2.

Who sends what: at least monthly, the registrar sends compiled data to the secretary of state: full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number if provided, driver’s-license number if provided, voter unique identifier, and current and previous residence addresses. The secretary of state then sends monthly notices to registrars responsible for the former addresses. The bill’s reporting language does not newly require every applicant to provide a full Social Security number; the application’s existing identification alternatives remain, including the last four digits when the specified Texas license or ID number has not been issued. Final law, Sections 13.002(c)(8) and 13.072(e)–(g).

What notification means: the notice says the voter “may be removed” from the former jurisdiction’s list. It is an interstate information-sharing step, not proof that a person voted twice and not a new automatic cancellation of the person’s Texas registration. The act does not repeal the existing confidentiality rules for registration identifiers or the restrictions on posting sensitive registration information online. Final law; Existing information-protection rules.

Changes during passage: the introduced version had local registrars notify the previous jurisdiction directly and report those notices to the secretary of state. The Senate substitute moved the interstate notification duty to the secretary of state, using information compiled locally. The House substitute replaced the monthly-report wording with transmission of the data at least once a month. The Senate concurred, and that House wording became law. The amendment index lists no separate floor amendments; these were committee-substitute changes, despite the history describing final House changes as an amendment. Introduced; Senate substitute; Senate-passed; House substitute; Final law; Version index; Amendment index.

Compare the published text versions in the official text index. A change is not attributed to a specific amendment here without a verified record.

Election administrators in a voter’s former jurisdiction receive information that may help keep registration lists current. Texas registrars must compile and transmit more address and identifying data, so accurate matching and secure handling matter. The act does not quantify registration removals, establish wrongdoing by an applicant, or prove that every notice will lead to a lawful removal elsewhere. Final law.

The May 13 fiscal note anticipates no significant state fiscal implication, assuming secretary-of-state costs can be absorbed with existing resources. It says costs to local voter registrars cannot be determined; that is not a zero-cost estimate. The April 4 and April 14 notes report the same fiscal limits for earlier versions. The act makes no appropriation. House-substitute fiscal note; Introduced fiscal note; Senate-substitute fiscal note; Final law.