The bill, H.B. No. 5351, amends various sections of the Election Code related to the application process for ballots to be voted by mail. Notably, it modifies Section 84.004(a) to clarify that a person commits an offense if they sign as a witness for more than one applicant in the same election, removing previous stipulations regarding annual ballots. Additionally, Section 84.007(c) is revised to allow applications to be submitted at any time during the election year, with specific deadlines outlined. The bill also updates the requirements for the official application form in Section 84.011(a), ensuring it includes various statements and spaces for necessary information, while repealing Section 86.0015 entirely.

Furthermore, the bill specifies that the cancellation of an application for a mail-in ballot is effective for a single election only, as stated in the amended Section 84.038. The changes introduced by this bill will take effect on January 1, 2026, and will apply only to applications submitted on or after that date. The bill also includes a provision that offenses committed before the effective date will be governed by the law in effect at that time.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Election Code 84.004, Election Code 84.007, Election Code 84.011, Election Code 84.038, Election Code 84.001 (Election Code 84)