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 amended 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), including new spaces for information and statements to inform applicants about the application process and related offenses.

Furthermore, the bill repeals Section 86.0015 and clarifies that the cancellation of an application for a mail-in ballot is effective for a single election only, allowing the application to remain valid for subsequent runoff elections. The changes made by this Act will apply only to applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026, and the law will take effect on that date.

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)