TEXAS ELECTION INTEGRITY AND PARTY ASSOCIATION ACT — Legislation Page

TEXAS ELECTION INTEGRITY AND PARTY ASSOCIATION ACT

Election Code Chapters 13, 15, 18, 31, 43, 63, 65, 82, 122, 127, 141, 142, 161, 162, 163, 172, 173, 212, 213, 221, 253, 254, 258, 273, 276; Government Code Chapter 74

Closes Texas party primaries to registered party members, protects the voting and candidacy rights of independent and unaffiliated Texans, verifies United States and Texas citizenship for voter registration, secures paper ballots and mandatory precinct-based election-day counting, expands recount and election-contest standing, reforms primary election financing, and strengthens citizen enforcement of election law.

Pre-Filing Draft 90th Legislature, Regular Session (2027) Rep. Will Campbell — HD 109

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By: ___________________

H.B. No. _____

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT

relating to closing political party primary elections to registered party members; protecting the voting and candidacy rights of independent and unaffiliated voters; verifying United States and Texas citizenship for voter registration; securing paper ballots and mandatory precinct-based election-day vote counting; expanding recount and election-contest standing; reforming primary election financing; providing civil and criminal enforcement mechanisms; providing civil penalties; creating criminal offenses.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. FINDINGS. The Legislature finds that:

(1) Political parties are private voluntary associations of citizens united by shared political belief, and the freedom to associate — and to exclude those who do not share that belief — is protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 8 of the Texas Constitution, as recognized in Democratic Party of the United States v. Wisconsin ex rel. La Follette, 450 U.S. 107 (1981); Tashjian v. Republican Party of Connecticut, 479 U.S. 208 (1986); and California Democratic Party v. Jones, 530 U.S. 567 (2000).

(2) A political party's right to determine who selects its nominees for public office is an associational right belonging to the party, not a power belonging to the State, and the State may not compel a party to open its nominating process to non-members against the party's wishes, nor may the State compel a party to exclude any group of citizens from party membership for reasons unrelated to shared political belief.

(3) No political party recognized under this code may deny membership or participation in party affairs to any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, or any other classification made a protected class under the United States Constitution or the Texas Constitution; a party's determination of membership must rest solely on the member's affirmation of and adherence to the party's stated political principles and duly adopted internal rules.

(4) Texas voters who do not wish to affiliate with any political party retain an unqualified constitutional right, under Article VI, Sections 2 and 4 of the Texas Constitution, to vote in every general, special, and nonpartisan election, and to seek public office without party affiliation, and nothing in this Act shall be construed to condition those rights on party membership.

(5) The integrity of Texas elections depends on an accurate, current, and citizen-only voter registration list, secure and verifiable paper ballots, uniform photo identification requirements, and transparent, auditable precinct-level vote counting.

(6) Current Texas Election Code Chapter 212 limits recount-petition standing to a narrow set of candidates and organized petitioners, and provides no defined pathway for a candidate or voter to present sworn evidence of a specific irregularity to obtain a hand recount when the statutory margin thresholds are not otherwise met; this gap has left legitimate integrity concerns without an accessible remedy in documented cases.

(7) Sworn statements from precinct election judges, alternate judges, and clerks — public officers who directly witness the conduct of an election — are already treated as competent evidence elsewhere in this code and should be expressly recognized as sufficient evidence to support a recount petition, election contest, or direct judicial petition when they describe a specific administrative error, equipment malfunction, or misconduct.

(8) Texas's countywide polling place (vote center) program, when combined with post-election ballot and cast-vote-record disclosure requirements, has been documented to create a risk of identifying individual voters' ballot choices in specific circumstances, undermining the secrecy of the ballot guaranteed by Article VI, Section 4 of the Texas Constitution.

(9) Party affiliation and voting-participation history are, and long have been, lawfully accessible public records used by political parties for internal governance, while the specific candidates or measures a voter selected on the ballot are, and must remain, permanently confidential under the secret-ballot guarantee of Article VI, Section 4 of the Texas Constitution; this Act preserves that distinction expressly.

(10) Existing Election Code Chapter 273 authorizes the Attorney General to investigate and prosecute election-law violations and provides a general citizen injunction right conditioned on a showing of personal harm, and existing Chapter 276 already criminalizes a range of election offenses with penalties scaled to the severity of the violation and the office held by the violator; this Act extends and strengthens, rather than replaces, that existing enforcement framework.

(11) Poll workers, election judges, alternate judges, clerks, and county elections office employees are frequently the only persons with direct, firsthand knowledge of an administrative error, equipment malfunction, or act of misconduct occurring inside a polling place, and current law does not provide such persons, or the voters and candidates of the affected precinct, an accessible, direct path to judicial relief independent of Secretary of State processing or prosecutorial discretion.

(12) A right of direct access to the courts for precinct-level recount and investigation relief must be paired with a sworn-evidence requirement, conflict-free judicial assignment, and a penalty for knowingly false submissions, so that the right serves to protect election integrity without becoming a tool for harassment of election officials or volunteers.

(13) This Act is intended to implement the Republican Party of Texas's 2026-2028 Legislative Priority of "Secure Texas Elections," while affirmatively protecting the voting and candidacy rights of Texans who choose not to affiliate with any political party, ensuring primary elections remain financially sustainable for the counties and parties that administer them, and giving citizens and election workers meaningful, accountable tools to protect the integrity of every vote cast in the State of Texas.

ARTICLE 1 — PARTY ASSOCIATION AND MEMBERSHIP (Amends Election Code Chapters 161, 162, 163)

SECTION 101. Purpose. This article establishes a durable, opt-in party-membership registration system for any political party qualifying under Election Code Chapter 181 or Chapter 182 that elects to hold a closed primary under Article 2 of this Act. Existing affiliation-by-primary-participation procedures remain available only for the first primary-election cycle governed by this Act as provided by Section 1303.

SECTION 102. Section 162.001, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 162.001. AFFILIATION WITH PARTY REQUIRED; RECORDED PARTY MEMBERSHIP.

(a) A person must be affiliated with a political party to be eligible:

(1) to vote in a closed primary election held by the party;

(2) to serve as a delegate to or otherwise participate in a convention held by the party under this code;

(3) to be elected as a member of or be appointed to fill a vacancy on a state executive committee;

(4) to be appointed to fill a vacancy on a county executive committee; or

(5) for any other purpose within the party as adopted by state party rules.

(b) In this code, "party membership" means the formal, recorded affiliation of a voter with a political party established under this chapter.

(c) Except as provided by Section 1303 of the Act enacting this subsection for the first primary-election cycle governed by that Act, a voter establishes party membership by designating a party affiliation on the voter's registration application or on a change-of-affiliation form filed with the county voter registrar.

(d) A voter who does not designate a party affiliation shall be recorded as "unaffiliated." Unaffiliated status does not affect the voter's eligibility to vote in any general, special, constitutional amendment, bond, or nonpartisan election, or in any runoff election not limited by law to members of a political party.

(e) Party affiliation is voluntary. Party affiliation may not be required as a condition of voter registration, voting in an election other than a party primary or party convention, or seeking public office as an independent candidate.

(f) A voter may change or withdraw a party affiliation at any time by filing a change-of-affiliation form with the county voter registrar. A change filed fewer than 60 days before a primary election does not take effect for purposes of that primary election but takes effect immediately for all other lawful purposes.

(g) A designation, change, or withdrawal accepted under this section remains effective until changed or withdrawn by the voter or until the affiliation is revoked under party rules authorized by this chapter.

SECTION 103. Section 162.002, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 162.002. ELIGIBILITY TO AFFILIATE; NONDISCRIMINATION.

(a) To be eligible to affiliate with a political party, a person must be:

(1) a registered voter; or

(2) eligible to vote a limited ballot at the time of affiliating.

(b) A political party may not deny, revoke, or condition membership on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

(c) A political party may establish and enforce reasonable membership criteria based on a member's affirmation of and adherence to the party's official platform, principles, or bylaws and may remove a member who materially and repeatedly acts to undermine the party's nominees or platform, subject to written notice and an internal appeal process established by party rule.

(d) This section does not limit a political party's rights under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution to define its membership according to political belief.

SECTION 104. Section 162.003, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 162.003. ESTABLISHING AND RECORDING PARTY AFFILIATION.

(a) Except as provided by Section 1303 of the Act enacting this section, a person becomes affiliated with a political party when the person's designation of that party on a voter-registration application or change-of-affiliation form is accepted by the voter registrar.

(b) The voter registrar shall record the effective date of an affiliation, change, or withdrawal in the voter's registration record and shall transmit the information to the secretary of state in the manner prescribed by rule.

(c) For the first primary-election cycle governed by the Act enacting this section, a person who has not made a party designation under Subsection (a) may become affiliated with a party by voting in the party's primary election or by returning the party's early voting or limited primary ballot voted by mail, in accordance with Sections 162.004 and 162.005 as continued temporarily by Section 1303 of that Act.

(d) After the first primary-election cycle governed by the Act enacting this section, voting in a party's primary does not create or change a party affiliation except as otherwise expressly provided by this code.

SECTION 105. Chapter 162, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 162.018 to read as follows:

Sec. 162.018. PARTY ACCESS TO AFFILIATION AND PARTICIPATION RECORDS; SECRET BALLOT PRESERVED.

(a) A political party's state or county executive committee may request from the secretary of state or a county voter registrar, and shall be provided, the recorded party-affiliation status and voting-participation history of a registered voter to the extent disclosure is authorized by this code.

(b) A party may use information obtained under Subsection (a) only for lawful internal party administration, including verifying primary participation, membership standing, candidate qualification, and convention or party-office eligibility.

(c) This section does not authorize a person to create, request, compel disclosure of, or maintain a record identifying a candidate or ballot measure selected by a voter. Information identifying a voter's ballot choices is confidential and protected by Article VI, Section 4, Texas Constitution.

(d) A person who knowingly discloses or unlawfully obtains information described by Subsection (c) commits an offense under Chapter 276 in addition to any other penalty provided by law.

SECTION 106. Section 163.005, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsections (g), (h), and (i) to read as follows:

(g) A political party that holds a primary election shall adopt, as a rule on electoral affairs, an election to conduct:

(1) a closed primary limited to registered members of that party; or

(2) an open primary under the procedures generally applicable before the effective date of the Act enacting this subsection.

(h) The state chair shall file the election under Subsection (g) with the secretary of state not later than the first Monday in January preceding the primary election. The party shall post the election on the party's Internet website. The election applies uniformly to the party's primary elections statewide and remains effective until superseded by a timely filed election.

(i) If a party does not timely file an election under Subsection (h), the party's most recent election remains effective. If the party has not previously filed an election, the party shall conduct the first primary after the effective date of the Act enacting this subsection under the same primary type that applied to the party immediately before that effective date.

SECTION 107. Section 163.006, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:

(e) The deadline and consequence prescribed by Section 163.005(h) and (i) govern a party's election of primary type. A failure to timely file that election does not trigger the ballot-omission consequence prescribed by Subsections (b) and (c) of this section.

SECTION 108. Section 163.002, Election Code, is amended by adding Subdivision (7) to read as follows:

(7) for a party electing to conduct a closed primary under Section 163.005(g), govern:

(A) admission and removal of members;

(B) internal notice and appeal procedures;

(D) delegate, precinct chair, county chair, and state executive committee qualification and challenge procedures; and

(E) other internal matters for which the party exercises its associational rights under this code.

SECTION 109. Section 163.007, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 163.007. RULES ENFORCEABLE BY MANDAMUS. A rule on electoral affairs is enforceable by writ of mandamus in the same manner as if the rule were a statute. A member-enforcement action alleging that a party officer or committee failed to follow a written party rule is governed by Section 273.086.

SECTION 110. Effective on the day after the date of the runoff primary for the first primary-election cycle governed by this Act, Sections 162.004 through 162.017, Election Code, are repealed, except that:

(1) an affiliation, participation, candidacy, or party record created under those sections remains a lawful election record and may be used to establish affiliation or eligibility during the transition required by Section 1303; and

(2) conduct occurring before the repeal remains subject to the law in effect when the conduct occurred.

ARTICLE 2 — CLOSED PRIMARY ELECTIONS (Amends Election Code Chapter 172)

SECTION 201. Section 172.002, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 172.002. A person is eligible to vote in a political party's primary election only if the person is a registered voter of this state, the person's recorded party affiliation under § 162.001 matches the party holding the primary as of the sixtieth (60th) day before the primary election date, and the person meets all other eligibility requirements generally applicable to primary voters under this code.

SECTION 202. Section 172.021, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 172.021. CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTY PRIMARY BALLOT. A candidate may not be placed on a political party's primary ballot unless the candidate's recorded party affiliation under § 162.001 matches that party as of the filing deadline for that primary election, and the candidate has been affiliated with that party for not less than twelve (12) months before the filing deadline, unless the state party's rules filed with the Secretary of State establish a shorter period.

SECTION 203. Section 172.116, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 172.116. RUNOFF PRIMARY ELECTIONS. Eligibility to vote in a runoff primary election is governed by the same party-affiliation requirement in Section 201 of this Act, determined as of the date of the original primary election.

SECTION 204. Chapter 172, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 172.030 to read as follows:

Sec. 172.030. NONPARTISAN AND NONPARTY CONTESTS UNAFFECTED. Nothing in this article restricts the right of an unaffiliated or independent voter, or a voter affiliated with a different party, to vote in a nonpartisan judicial or school board race appearing on a primary ballot, a bond election, constitutional amendment election, or other nonpartisan ballot measure appearing on or near a primary election date, or any general, special, or runoff election not limited to party members under this article.

SECTION 205. Chapter 172, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 172.031 to read as follows:

Sec. 172.031. LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL CANDIDATE PARTY DECLARATION. A candidate for a local or municipal office that appears on a partisan ballot must declare a party affiliation or independent/nonpartisan status on the candidate's application for a place on the ballot, consistent with the Republican Party of Texas's platform and legislative priorities favoring local candidate party-affiliation transparency. This section does not apply to offices designated nonpartisan by home-rule charter or general law.

SECTION 206. Chapter 172, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 172.032 to read as follows:

Sec. 172.032. ENFORCEMENT. A violation of this article by a party official, county election officer, or county elections committee member is subject to the tiered offenses established under new Election Code § 276.020 of this Act.

ARTICLE 3 — PROTECTION OF INDEPENDENT VOTERS AND CANDIDATES (Amends Election Code Chapters 141, 142)

SECTION 301. Section 141.031, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 141.031. APPLICATION FOR A PLACE ON THE BALLOT. An application for a place on the ballot for an independent candidate may not require the candidate to disclose or adopt any party affiliation, and the ballot shall list such a candidate as "Independent" or, at the candidate's election, without any party designation.

SECTION 302. Section 142.002, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 142.002. PETITION REQUIREMENTS FOR INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES. The signature-petition threshold and process for independent candidates under this chapter shall remain independent of, and shall not be increased solely because of, the enactment of closed primaries under Article 2 of this Act. The Secretary of State shall review and report to the Legislature by December 1, 2027, on whether the existing petition-signature thresholds under this chapter remain proportionate now that closed primaries limit major-party ballot access to registered party members.

SECTION 303. Chapter 142, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 142.010 to read as follows:

Sec. 142.010. EQUAL BALLOT ACCESS FOR UNAFFILIATED CANDIDATES. A person seeking public office as an independent, with no party affiliation, may not be required to pay a filing fee greater than that required of a major-party primary candidate for the same office, obtain any party endorsement, membership, or affiliation, or satisfy any qualification not equally applicable to party-affiliated candidates for the same office.

SECTION 304. Chapter 141, Election Code, is amended by adding Subchapter E and Section 141.151 to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER E. PARTY-STATUS PROTECTIONS

Sec. 141.151. GENERAL ELECTION VOTING RIGHTS UNAFFECTED BY PARTY STATUS. A voter's eligibility to vote in any general, special, runoff (except as provided in Section 203 of this Act), constitutional amendment, or bond election may not be conditioned on party affiliation or lack of party affiliation.

SECTION 305. Subchapter E, Chapter 141, Election Code, as added by this Act, is amended by adding Section 141.152 to read as follows:

Sec. 141.152. INDEPENDENT AND UNAFFILIATED ACCESS TO ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS. Except where a provision of this Act expressly limits standing to members of the political party whose primary is at issue, an independent candidate, unaffiliated voter, or voter affiliated with a different political party has the same right as any other qualified elector to file a complaint, recount petition, contest, or direct judicial petition relating to a general, special, nonpartisan, constitutional amendment, or bond election under this code.

ARTICLE 4 — VOTER REGISTRATION AND CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION (Amends Election Code Chapter 13)

SECTION 401. Section 13.002, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 13.002. PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED FOR REGISTRATION. An applicant for voter registration must provide documentary proof of United States citizenship at the time of application, using a document listed in this section, consistent with proposals advanced in 2025 Senate Bill 16.

SECTION 402. Chapter 18, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 18.068 to read as follows:

Sec. 18.068. QUARTERLY VOTER ROLL VERIFICATION. The Secretary of State shall conduct a quarterly cross-check of the statewide voter registration list against available state and federal citizenship, death, and change-of-address databases, and shall coordinate with counties to remove ineligible registrations in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act and Texas law.

SECTION 403. Chapter 15, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 15.084 to read as follows:

Sec. 15.084. REJECTION OF NON-RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL ADDRESSES. A voter registration application listing a commercial mail-receiving agency, mail-forwarding business, or similar non-residential address as the applicant's residence address shall be flagged for registrar review and may not be accepted as a valid residence address absent an approved exception for overseas military or protected-address voters.

ARTICLE 5 — BALLOT SECURITY, MANDATORY PRECINCT-BASED COUNTING, AND POLLING PLACE STRUCTURE (Amends Election Code Chapters 43, 65, 122, and 127)

SECTION 501. Chapter 122, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 122.100 to read as follows:

Sec. 122.100. VOTER-VERIFIABLE PAPER BALLOT AND NETWORK ISOLATION REQUIRED.

(a) A voting system or ballot-marking device used in an election covered by this code must produce or use a paper ballot or paper record in clearly readable form that the voter is given an opportunity to review before casting the ballot. A voter who identifies a discrepancy before casting the ballot must be permitted to void the ballot and receive a replacement ballot as provided by law.

(b) A voting system used to receive, mark, scan, tabulate, store, or transmit ballots or vote data may not be capable of being connected to the Internet or to an external computer network or electronic device and may not have a physical or wireless connection to such a network or device at any time during the receipt, marking, scanning, tabulation, storage, or transmission of ballots or vote data.

(c) Subsection (b) does not prohibit the transmission of unofficial results after completion of the precinct count if the transmission is performed by a separate device that did not receive, mark, scan, tabulate, or store a voted ballot or cast-vote record and the official precinct returns and removable media are delivered in accordance with law.

(d) The general custodian of election records shall maintain a written and electronic record of the connectivity status, chain of custody, and physical security of each voting-system component used in an election. The record must identify each inspection and attempted or actual connection and must be preserved for the same period as the corresponding precinct election records.

(e) The secretary of state may not waive a requirement of this section.

SECTION 502. Chapter 65, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 65.017 to read as follows:

Sec. 65.017. MANDATORY PRECINCT-BASED COUNTING OF ELECTION-DAY BALLOTS.

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (d), each ballot cast on election day shall be counted at the election precinct in which the ballot was cast before the ballot, electronic media containing vote data, or results are delivered or transmitted to a central counting station or other location.

(b) The automatic tabulating equipment used at a precinct must satisfy Section 122.100. The presiding judge shall compare the number of ballots counted with the number of voters accepted for voting and shall complete and sign the precinct returns before results are transmitted.

(c) After the polls close and the precinct count is completed, the presiding judge shall publicly post a copy of the precinct returns at the polling place before transmitting unofficial results or delivering ballots or election records.

(d) Early voting ballots, ballots voted by mail, provisional ballots, late ballots, ballots requiring duplication or adjudication, and ballots that cannot be counted at the precinct because of equipment failure or damage may be counted by the early voting ballot board, at a central counting station, or as otherwise provided by law. Each ballot counted under this subsection must be assigned to and separately tabulated and reported for the voter's election precinct to the extent permitted by ballot-secrecy requirements.

(e) A county participating in the countywide polling place program shall deploy at each election-day countywide polling place equipment capable of producing a separate precinct return for every election precinct represented by ballots cast at that location. The presiding judge shall complete and post those precinct returns at the countywide polling place as provided by Subsection (c).

(f) An election-day ballot may not be routinely transported to a central counting station for initial tabulation. A central counting station may receive and accumulate precinct returns and may count only the ballots described by Subsection (d).

(g) A violation of this section may support a complaint under Section 273.083, a direct petition under Section 273.085, a recount under Title 13, or an election contest under Title 14.

SECTION 503. Section 127.001, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsection (f) to read as follows:

(f) A central counting station may not be established for the initial tabulation of election-day ballots that Section 65.017 requires to be counted at the election precinct. The station may accumulate precinct returns and may count early voting ballots, ballots voted by mail, provisional ballots, late ballots, ballots requiring duplication or adjudication, and ballots that cannot be counted at the precinct because of equipment failure or damage.

SECTION 504. Section 127.128, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

(c) Ballots and returns processed under this chapter must remain separately tabulated and reported by election precinct. The general custodian may combine precinct totals for public reporting only to the minimum extent necessary to prevent disclosure of an individual voter's ballot choices and shall preserve the underlying precinct records for recount, audit, and contest purposes.

SECTION 505. Section 127.201, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsections (h) and (i) to read as follows:

(h) The hand count election audit required by this section supplements the precinct count required by Section 65.017 and any risk-limiting audit required by Subchapter I. The performance of a precinct count does not waive or replace the audit required by this section.

(i) In addition to the report required by Subsection (e), the general custodian shall publish the audit results by county and election precinct to the extent consistent with ballot secrecy.

SECTION 506. Section 127.202, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

(d) A count conducted under this section supplements and does not replace a precinct count required by Section 65.017, a hand count election audit required by Section 127.201, or a risk-limiting audit required by Subchapter I.

SECTION 507. Section 127.302, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows:

(g) The risk-limiting audit required by this section supplements and does not replace the precinct count required by Section 65.017 or the hand count election audit required by Section 127.201.

(h) Audit records and results must be maintained and reported by county and election precinct to the extent consistent with ballot secrecy.

SECTION 508. Chapter 43, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 43.0075 to read as follows:

Sec. 43.0075. COUNTYWIDE POLLING PLACE PROGRAM; PRECINCT COUNTING AND BALLOT SECRECY SAFEGUARDS.

(a) A county may not participate in the countywide polling place program unless the county demonstrates to the secretary of state that the county can comply with Section 65.017 and that its ballot design, tabulation, and post-election disclosure procedures cannot reasonably be used, alone or in combination with publicly available information, to identify an individual voter's ballot choices.

(b) The secretary of state shall adopt rules restricting or terminating the countywide polling place program in a county that fails to provide mandatory precinct-based counting or in which credible evidence establishes a substantial risk of individual ballot-choice identification.

(c) A registered voter or candidate residing in a county operating under this section may petition the district court for an order requiring compliance with Section 65.017 or restricting or terminating the county's participation in the program on a sworn showing of a specific, credible precinct-counting, ballot-secrecy, or recount-access violation.

(d) A violation of Subsection (a) by a county election officer or county elections committee is subject to Section 276.020.

ARTICLE 6 — RECOUNT STANDING AND PROCEDURE (Amends Election Code Chapters 212, 213)

SECTION 601. Section 212.001, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 212.001. RECOUNT PETITION — EXPANDED STANDING.

(a) In addition to persons currently eligible to petition for a recount under this chapter, the following persons may petition for a recount of an election for public office:

(1) any candidate whose name appeared on the ballot for the office in question, regardless of the vote margin; and

(2) any registered voter of the precinct, district, or county in which the office was contested, upon compliance with Section 602 of this Act.

(b) For a primary election, standing under subsection (a)(2) is limited to a registered voter who is affiliated, under Election Code § 162.001, with the same political party whose primary is the subject of the petition, consistent with that party's associational interest in the integrity of its own nominating process.

SECTION 602. Chapter 212, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 212.0115 to read as follows:

Sec. 212.0115. EVIDENTIARY GATE FOR VOTER-INITIATED RECOUNT PETITIONS.

(a) A recount petition filed by a registered voter under new Section 601(a)(2) of this Act must be accompanied by a sworn affidavit, made on personal knowledge or on a sworn statement described in Section 603 of this Act, setting forth specific facts constituting a good-faith basis to believe that an error, malfunction, or irregularity occurred that could affect the outcome of the election.

(b) The affidavit shall be filed with, and reviewed for legal and factual sufficiency by, the district court of the county in which the election was held, before the recount is ordered. The court shall rule on sufficiency not later than five (5) business days after filing.

(c) A petition found insufficient under this section may be amended once as of right and refiled within five (5) business days of the court's ruling.

(d) This evidentiary gate is intended to ensure that voter-initiated recount rights created by this Act are exercised in good faith and supported by specific facts, rather than granted automatically on demand, while still providing a meaningful and accessible remedy.

SECTION 603. Chapter 213, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 213.003 to read as follows:

Sec. 213.003. SWORN STATEMENTS OF ELECTION JUDGES AND CLERKS AS SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE.

(a) A sworn statement executed by a presiding judge, alternate judge, clerk, poll watcher, or county elections office employee, describing a specific administrative error, equipment malfunction, connectivity violation under Section 122.100, or instance of misconduct personally witnessed or discovered by that officer in the course of official duties, constitutes evidence sufficient, standing alone or in combination with a vote-margin threshold established elsewhere in this code, to support:

(1) a recount petition under Section 601 or 602 of this Act;

(2) an election contest under Chapter 221 of this code; or

(3) a direct petition under Section 273.085.

(b) A sworn statement filed under this section shall be made available to the parties to any recount, contest, or petition proceeding and to the reviewing court, subject to any protective order the court finds necessary to protect the safety of the officer making the statement.

(c) This section extends to Texas election law an evidentiary mechanism already used elsewhere in this code for sworn voter-registration challenges and poll-watcher affidavits.

SECTION 604. Chapter 213, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 213.004 to read as follows:

Sec. 213.004. RECOUNT COST AND REFUND PARITY. The existing cost-deposit and refund procedures of this chapter, under which a recount petitioner's deposit is refunded if the recount changes the outcome or reveals a material error, shall apply equally to a recount conducted under new Section 601(a)(2) of this Act or ordered under Section 273.085, so that a voter, candidate, or election worker who obtains a recount supported by sufficient evidence under Section 602, 603, or 273.085 is not penalized when the recount confirms the alleged irregularity.

ARTICLE 7 — ELECTION CONTESTS AND NEW ELECTIONS (Amends Election Code Chapter 221)

SECTION 701. Section 221.003, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 221.003. GROUNDS FOR SETTING ASIDE AN ELECTION. In addition to the grounds currently recognized under this chapter — illegal votes, an election officer's prevention of eligible voters from voting, failure to count legal votes, or fraud or illegal conduct or mistake — a sworn statement filed under new Section 213.003 of this Act describing a specific administrative error, equipment malfunction, or misconduct is sufficient evidence to support a finding that the true outcome of the election is in doubt, when considered together with the size of the alleged irregularity relative to the vote margin.

SECTION 702. Section 221.012, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 221.012. EFFECT OF VOID ELECTION. Where the tribunal cannot ascertain the true outcome of the election, the tribunal shall declare the election void as to the office or measure affected and order a new election limited to the office or measure in question.

SECTION 703. Section 221.014, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 221.014. PAYMENT OF EXPENSES OF NEW ELECTION — PRESERVED AND CLARIFIED. The expenses of a new election ordered under this chapter shall be paid from the same fund, and by the same authority, that paid for the original contested election, including a primary election.

SECTION 704. Chapter 221, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 221.015 to read as follows:

Sec. 221.015. PRIMARY ELECTION CONTESTS — PARTY-MEMBER STANDING; LEGISLATIVE CONTEST CARVE-OUT.

(a) For an election contest arising from a primary election, standing to bring the contest is limited to a candidate whose name appeared on the primary ballot for the office in question and to a registered voter affiliated, under Election Code § 162.001, with the party whose primary is being contested.

(b) If the primary contest involves a candidate for the Texas House of Representatives or the Texas Senate, the standing rules and evidentiary standards created by this Act apply within the manner of contest determination required by Texas Constitution Article III, Section 8, and any implementing rule of the applicable house of the Legislature, rather than through final adjudication by the district court.

ARTICLE 8 — MANDATORY PHOTO IDENTIFICATION (Amends Election Code Chapter 63)

SECTION 801. Section 63.001, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 63.001. PHOTO IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED. A voter must present a valid form of government-issued photographic identification listed under this chapter to receive a ballot in any election, with no affidavit-based exception other than the disability exemption already recognized under this code.

ARTICLE 9 — MAIL BALLOT ELIGIBILITY (Amends Election Code Chapter 82)

SECTION 901. Sections 82.001 through 82.004, Election Code, are amended to read as follows:

Sec. 82.001 et seq. ELIGIBILITY FOR BALLOT BY MAIL. Eligibility to vote by mail is limited to voters with a disability under existing Section 82.002, voters age 65 or older, voters absent from the county of residence on election day, and active-duty military voters and their dependents under existing Section 82.001. All other voters must vote in person.

ARTICLE 10 — CAMPAIGN FINANCE AND FOREIGN INFLUENCE (Amends Election Code Chapters 253, 258)

SECTION 1001. Chapter 253, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 253.1615 to read as follows:

Sec. 253.1615. PROHIBITION ON FOREIGN AND ADVERSARY-LINKED CONTRIBUTIONS. A candidate, officeholder, political committee, or party may not knowingly accept a political contribution from a foreign national, a foreign government, or an entity identified by the United States government as a foreign terrorist organization or a state sponsor of terrorism.

SECTION 1002. Section 253.162, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 253.162. OUT-OF-STATE CONTRIBUTION LIMITS.

(a) A contribution to a candidate or officeholder from a source located outside the State of Texas may not exceed, per election cycle, in the aggregate:

(1) $5,000, for a candidate or officeholder seeking or holding a statewide office;

(2) $2,500, for a candidate or officeholder seeking or holding a district office, including the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas Senate, and the United States Congress; or

(3) $1,000, for a candidate or officeholder seeking or holding a county office.

(b) This section does not apply to a contribution from a political committee, regardless of the committee's location, or to a contribution from a Texas resident temporarily located outside the state.

(c) A candidate or officeholder who receives a contribution in excess of the applicable limit under subsection (a) must return the excess portion of the contribution to the contributor, or forfeit that amount to the credit of the State of Texas general revenue fund, not later than the earlier of the fifth business day after the date the contribution is received or the last day of the reporting period in which the contribution is received, consistent with the structure of House Bill 3592, 89th Legislature, Regular Session (2025).

(d) A person who knowingly violates this section is liable for a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed three times the amount of the excess contribution, recoverable by the Texas Ethics Commission or the Attorney General.

(e) Jurisdiction to enforce this section, including the authority to investigate complaints, assess civil penalties under subsection (d), and adopt implementing rules, resides with the Texas Ethics Commission under its existing authority over political contributions and expenditures under Election Code Chapter 254, consistent with the Commission's existing jurisdiction over related contribution and reporting requirements. The Attorney General retains concurrent authority to enforce this section in a civil action if the Commission refers the matter or declines to act within a reasonable time.

ARTICLE 11 — PRIMARY ELECTION FINANCING AND STATE-COUNTY-PARTY COORDINATION (Amends Election Code Chapter 173)

SECTION 1101. Section 173.004, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 173.004. FORMULA-BASED STATE COMPENSATION FOR COUNTY PRIMARY ADMINISTRATION.

(a) In place of the current capped, per-item compensation structure, the Secretary of State shall annually calculate and pay each county a primary-administration reimbursement composed of three components:

(1) a fixed rate per election precinct activated for the primary;

(2) a per-new-registration rate reflecting the cost of processing new party-affiliation registrations and changes under Election Code § 162.001; and

(3) a per-registered-voter rate reflecting general primary administration and ballot costs.

(b) The Secretary of State shall set and publish the rates under subsection (a) not later than October 1 of each year preceding a primary election, using a methodology modeled on Kentucky's three-part county election-funding formula and Colorado's per-voter primary reimbursement approach.

(c) This section is intended to give counties predictable, cost-based primary funding in place of the current capped reimbursement model.

SECTION 1102. Chapter 173, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 173.0091 to read as follows:

Sec. 173.0091. MANDATORY STATE-COUNTY-PARTY COORDINATION CONFERENCE.

(a) Not later than four (4) months before the regular candidate filing deadline for each primary election under Section 172.023 of this code, the Secretary of State shall convene a joint coordination conference with each county election administrator required to conduct a primary and the state chair (or a designated representative) of each qualifying political party holding a primary, to coordinate primary election scheduling, party-affiliation registration processing deadlines under § 162.001, joint-primary polling-place logistics under existing § 173.008, and cost allocation under Section 1101 of this Act. This timing is intended to place the conference before the Secretary of State's rate-publication deadline under new Section 1101(b) of this Act, so the conference may inform that rate-setting process.

(b) The Secretary of State shall publish minutes and any resulting coordination agreement from the conference required under subsection (a) not later than thirty (30) days after the conference concludes.

(c) This section formalizes and strengthens the existing coordination function implicit in the Secretary of State's current rulemaking authority under § 173.009 and the joint-primary financing provisions of this chapter.

(d) A county election administrator or party state chair who knowingly fails to participate in good faith in the conference required under subsection (a) is subject to the tiered offenses established under new Election Code § 276.020 of this Act.

SECTION 1103. Section 173.003, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 173.003. EXPENSES INCURRED BY COUNTY — CONFORMING AMENDMENT. County primary-expense obligations under this section remain in effect except as modified by the formula-based reimbursement established in new Section 1101 of this Act.

ARTICLE 12 — ELECTION ADMINISTRATION STANDARDS (Statutory)

SECTION 1201. Chapter 31, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 31.0025 to read as follows:

Sec. 31.0025. UNIFORM STATEWIDE ELECTION ADMINISTRATION STANDARDS. The Secretary of State shall adopt uniform administrative standards for voter registration processing, ballot design, equipment certification, and precinct reporting applicable to all 254 counties, superseding any inconsistent local rule or waiver previously granted under this code.

SECTION 1202. Chapter 31, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 31.0026 to read as follows:

Sec. 31.0026. PENALTY FOR UNAUTHORIZED ALTERATION OF ELECTION PROCEDURE. A local election official who materially alters an election procedure prescribed by this code without statutory authority or a court order commits a Class A misdemeanor, enhanced to a state jail felony for a second or subsequent offense.

ARTICLE 13 — SEVERABILITY, EFFECTIVE DATE, TRANSITION, AND FISCAL NOTE

SECTION 1301. Severability. If any provision of this Act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this Act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this Act are severable.

SECTION 1302. Implementation Schedule. The secretary of state shall adopt rules necessary to implement Articles 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 11, and 14 of this Act not later than January 1, 2028. Counties shall acquire or configure equipment and procedures necessary for mandatory precinct-based election-day counting under Section 65.017 before the first election to which that section applies. This section governs administrative rulemaking and operational preparation and does not delay the effective date under Section 1305.

SECTION 1303. First-Cycle Party-Affiliation Transition.

(a) For the first primary-election cycle governed by this Act, a voter who has not established a recorded affiliation under Section 162.003(a) may affiliate with a political party by voting in that party's primary or by returning that party's early voting or limited primary ballot voted by mail under Sections 162.003(c), 162.004, and 162.005, Election Code.

(b) During that first cycle, Sections 162.004 through 162.017, Election Code, continue in effect solely to administer and enforce affiliation created by primary participation, party convention participation, or an oath of affiliation. A conflict between those sections and Section 162.001 or 162.003, as amended by this Act, is resolved in favor of the amended section.

(c) For the first primary election governed by this Act, a candidate's affiliation period under Section 172.021 may be established by a documented record of affiliation or primary participation lawfully created before or during the transition period.

(d) On the day after the runoff primary for the first primary-election cycle governed by this Act, Sections 162.004 through 162.017 are repealed as provided by Section 110, and thereafter affiliation is established and changed only through the durable recorded-affiliation system.

SECTION 1304. Fiscal Note and Appropriations Review. Before this bill is voted out of committee, the Legislative Budget Board shall prepare a fiscal note estimating the cost of implementing Article 1's party-registration system and Article 11's primary-election financing formula. Nothing in this section appropriates money; any appropriation necessary to implement this Act shall be made in the General Appropriations Act or by other law.

SECTION 1305. Effective Date. This Act takes effect September 1, 2027, in its entirety. No provision of this Act is delayed to a later effective date; Section 1302 governs only the timeline for administrative rulemaking and first operational use, not statutory effect.

ARTICLE 14 — CITIZEN ENFORCEMENT AND ELECTION INTEGRITY OFFENSES (Amends Election Code Chapters 273, 276; Government Code Chapter 74)

SECTION 1401. Purpose. This article strengthens the existing enforcement framework of Election Code Chapters 273 and 276 by giving registered voters, candidates, poll workers, election judges, alternate judges, clerks, poll watchers, county elections office employees, and political-party members direct remedies to protect election integrity and enforce written party rules, while establishing tiered criminal penalties, protecting election workers from retaliation, and guarding against abuse of these remedies.

SECTION 1402. Chapter 273, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 273.083 to read as follows:

Sec. 273.083. SWORN COMPLAINT TO DISTRICT OR COUNTY ATTORNEY AND SECRETARY OF STATE.

(a) A registered voter, candidate, poll watcher, election judge, alternate judge, clerk, or county elections office employee may file a sworn, specific-facts complaint with the district or county attorney of the county in which the alleged violation occurred and with the secretary of state alleging a violation of a provision created or amended by this Act, without being required to show individualized personal harm otherwise required by Section 273.081.

(b) The secretary of state shall establish a publicly available complaint-intake process organized by county and precinct.

(c) The district or county attorney and the secretary of state shall each acknowledge receipt not later than the fifth business day after filing and shall report the disposition of the complaint to the complainant.

SECTION 1403. Chapter 273, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 273.084 to read as follows:

Sec. 273.084. ANTI-ABUSE SAFEGUARD FOR FALSE COMPLAINTS, PETITIONS, AND AFFIDAVITS. A person who knowingly files a false or materially misleading sworn complaint under Section 273.083, sworn petition or affidavit under Section 273.085, or affidavit supporting an action under Section 273.086 commits a Class B misdemeanor.

SECTION 1404. Chapter 273, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 273.085 to read as follows:

Sec. 273.085. DIRECT PETITION FOR PRECINCT-LEVEL RECOUNT AND INVESTIGATION ORDER.

(a) In addition to and independent of a complaint under Section 273.083 or a recount petition under Title 13, the following persons may file a direct petition with a district court in the county in which the affected precinct is located:

(1) a registered voter of the affected precinct;

(2) a candidate whose name appeared on the ballot for an office voted on in the affected precinct; or

(3) a poll watcher, election judge, alternate judge, clerk, or county elections office employee who personally witnessed or has direct knowledge of the alleged violation.

(b) On a sufficient sworn showing under Subsection (c), the district court may order:

(1) an immediate hand recount of ballots cast in the affected precinct; or

(2) a formal investigation into the alleged violation conducted by the district or county attorney, county elections administrator, or a special investigator appointed by the court, without awaiting referral from the secretary of state or attorney general.

(c) The petition must be supported by the petitioner's sworn affidavit, a sworn statement described by Section 213.003, or both, setting forth specific facts constituting a good-faith basis to believe that a violation occurred. The court shall rule on sufficiency not later than the fifth business day after filing.

(d) An order is limited to the precincts identified in the sworn evidence and does not authorize a countywide or statewide recount or investigation without a separate showing for each additional precinct.

(e) The court shall transmit an order and the results of a recount or investigation to the secretary of state and district or county attorney not later than the 10th business day after the recount or investigation concludes.

(f) The regional presiding judge assigned under Section 74.0605, Government Code, may consolidate petitions arising from the same alleged systemic cause or substantially overlapping facts.

(g) Except for a primary-election dispute for which this Act limits standing to members of the affected party, a voter may not be excluded from relief because the voter is independent, unaffiliated, or affiliated with another party.

SECTION 1405. Chapter 273, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 273.086 to read as follows:

Sec. 273.086. MEMBER ACTION TO ENFORCE WRITTEN PARTY RULE.

(a) A member of a political party who is aggrieved by a party officer's or committee's failure to follow a written rule adopted under Chapter 163 may bring an action in a district court of competent jurisdiction to compel compliance with the rule.

(b) Relief is limited to declaratory or injunctive relief compelling compliance with the party's written rule, except that a court may award actual damages, court costs, and other relief otherwise available by law on proof that the wrongful action caused a specific, measurable financial injury.

(c) A court may not rewrite a party's rules or platform. Judicial review is limited to determining whether the party substantially complied with its duly adopted written rules and applicable law.

(d) Before filing suit, a member must exhaust a reasonably available internal appeal required by the party's filed rules unless exhaustion would be futile or would prevent timely relief concerning an election deadline.

SECTION 1406. Chapter 276, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 276.020 to read as follows:

Sec. 276.020. TIERED OFFENSES FOR DUTIES CREATED BY THIS ACT; NON-DUPLICATION OF PUNISHMENT.

(a) A party chair, county election administrator, county elections committee member, or other election official who knowingly violates a duty created uniquely by this Act, including a closed-primary eligibility requirement, a mandatory precinct-counting or equipment-isolation requirement, a countywide polling place restriction, a direct-petition or reporting duty, or a coordination-conference duty, commits an offense.

(b) An offense under this section is:

(1) a Class A misdemeanor for a first violation;

(2) a felony of the third degree for a knowing or repeated violation; and

(3) a felony of the second degree if the violation affects the outcome of an election.

(c) A prosecution under this section does not preclude prosecution for another offense arising from the same conduct, but a person may not be punished more than once for the same act. This section supplements and does not repeal or diminish Sections 276.001 and 276.013 and applies to conduct not already fully punished under those sections.

SECTION 1407. Chapter 276, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 276.021 to read as follows:

Sec. 276.021. ANTI-RETALIATION PROTECTION FOR ELECTION WORKERS.

(a) A person commits an offense if, in retaliation against a poll watcher, election judge, alternate judge, clerk, or county elections office employee who has filed a sworn statement under Section 213.003, a complaint under Section 273.083, or a petition under Section 273.085, the person takes or threatens to take an adverse employment, contractual, or other retaliatory action against that individual.

(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree.

SECTION 1408. Government Code Chapter 74, new § 74.0605, Conflict-Free Assignment of Judge in Election Integrity Petition, Party-Rule Action, or Contest.

(a) This section applies solely to a petition, recount, party-rule enforcement action, or contest proceeding arising under this Act, including a proceeding brought under Election Code Sections 212.001, 212.0115, 213.003, 221.015, 273.083, 273.085, 273.086, or 276.020, as added or amended by this Act, and does not alter judicial-assignment procedure for another civil or criminal matter.

(b) If a proceeding concerns an election in which the regularly assigned district judge is, or during the election at issue was, a candidate on the ballot for an office voted on by the voters whose ballots are directly implicated, the judge is disqualified.

(c) On filing of the proceeding, the clerk shall immediately notify the regional presiding judge, who shall assign a judge who was not a candidate on a ballot directly implicated in the proceeding.

(d) The regional presiding judge shall use the narrowest practical assignment necessary to secure a conflict-free tribunal, beginning with assignment from outside the affected electoral district and expanding as necessary.

(e) If multiple proceedings arise from the same alleged systemic cause or substantially overlapping facts, the regional presiding judge may assign a single conflict-free judge and order consolidation to avoid conflicting rulings.