House Bill No. 4059 aims to establish a requirement for voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to participate in that party's primary elections. The bill amends various sections of the Election Code, including Section 13.002, which now mandates that voter registration applications include the applicant's political party affiliation. Additionally, it introduces a new criminal offense for individuals who vote in a primary election without being affiliated with the respective party, with penalties ranging from state jail felonies to second-degree felonies depending on the nature of the offense. The bill also outlines procedures for voters to affiliate with a party and specifies that a vote in a primary election will be void if the voter is not affiliated with the party holding the primary.

Furthermore, the bill requires election officials to ensure that only affiliated voters are allowed to vote in party primaries, and it imposes civil penalties on officials who knowingly permit unaffiliated voters to participate. It also mandates that county voter registrars notify registered voters about the new affiliation requirements and the consequences of not indicating a party affiliation. The changes will take effect on September 1, 2025, with specific provisions regarding voter registration certificates and the listing of voters' affiliations coming into play starting January 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Election Code 13.002, Election Code 13.122, Election Code 15.001, Election Code 63.011, Election Code 112.002, Election Code 162.001, Election Code 162.003, Election Code 162.010, Election Code 162.013, Election Code 162.014, Election Code 172.126 (Election Code 15, Election Code 63, Election Code 172, Election Code 162, Election Code 13, Election Code 112)