The bill, H.B. No. 465, proposes amendments to the Election Code of Texas to implement preferential voting in runoff elections for voters who vote by mail. It introduces new provisions that require early voting clerks to provide voters with a runoff election ballot and a second carrier envelope for returning the ballot. Additionally, it stipulates that a runoff election ballot will only be counted if it is returned simultaneously and in the same manner as the general election ballot.

Furthermore, the bill establishes a new subchapter that outlines the preferential voting system for runoff elections. Voters will be able to rank candidates on their runoff ballots, and their votes will be assigned to the candidate they ranked highest. The Secretary of State is tasked with creating procedures for this system and providing detailed instructions to county clerks, who must then disseminate this information to voters. The bill is set to take effect on January 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Election Code 101.056, Election Code 101.057 (Election Code 101)