The bill, H.B. No. 1780, amends the Election Code to facilitate the mailing of early voting ballots by eliminating the requirement for United States postage on carrier envelopes. Specifically, it introduces a new subsection (a-1) to Section 86.002, which mandates that the officially prescribed carrier envelope be prepared for mailing without the need for postage. Additionally, the Secretary of State is tasked with adopting necessary rules for the administration of this provision.

Furthermore, the bill modifies Section 86.013(a) to require that each official carrier envelope for a ballot to be voted by mail must indicate that return postage for the envelope and balloting materials is prepaid. The bill also repeals Section 86.002(e) and specifies that the changes will apply only to elections ordered on or after the effective date of September 1, 2025, while elections ordered prior to this date will continue to be governed by the existing law.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Election Code 86.002, Election Code 86.013 (Election Code 86)