Title EL, Election Code

Sec. 32.051. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), to be eligible to serve as a judge of an election precinct, a person must: (1) be a qualified voter of the precinct; and (2) for a regular county election precinct for which an appointment is…

Sec. 32.0511. SPECIAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: STUDENT ELECTION CLERKS. (a) In this section: (1) "Educational institution" means: (A) a public secondary school; or (B) an accredited private or parochial secondary school. (2) "Student" means a person enrolled in an educational in…

Sec. 32.052. INELIGIBILITY OF PUBLIC OFFICER. (a) A person who holds an elective public office is ineligible to serve as an election judge or clerk in an election. (b) For purposes of this section, a deputy or assistant serving under a public officer does not hold a public office…

Sec. 32.053. INELIGIBILITY OF CANDIDATE FOR OFFICE. (a) A person who is a candidate in an election for a contested public or party office is ineligible to serve, in an election to be held on the same day as that election, as an election judge or clerk in any precinct in which the…

Sec. 32.054. INELIGIBILITY OF EMPLOYEE OR RELATIVE OF CANDIDATE. (a) A person is ineligible to serve as an election judge or clerk in an election if the person is employed by or related within the second degree by consanguinity or affinity, as determined under Chapter 573, Govern…

Sec. 32.055. INELIGIBILITY OF CAMPAIGN TREASURER. (a) A person is ineligible to serve as an election judge or clerk in an election if the person is the campaign treasurer of a candidate in that election. (b) In this section, "candidate" means a person who has taken affirmative ac…

Sec. 32.0551. INELIGIBILITY OF CAMPAIGN MANAGER. (a) A person is ineligible to serve as an election judge or clerk in an election if the person is a campaign manager of a candidate in that election. (b) In this section: (1) "Campaign manager" means: (A) the person who directs, wi…

Sec. 32.0552. INELIGIBILITY OF PERSON CONVICTED OF ELECTION OFFENSE. A person is ineligible to serve as an election judge or clerk in an election if the person has been finally convicted of an offense in connection with conduct directly attributable to an election. Added by Acts …

Sec. 32.056. CITY CHARTER REQUIREMENTS. Eligibility requirements or grounds of ineligibility in addition to those prescribed by this subchapter may be prescribed by a home-rule city charter for election officers serving in elections ordered by an authority of the city. Acts 1985,…

Sec. 32.071. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY OF PRESIDING JUDGE. The presiding judge is in charge of and responsible for the management and conduct of the election at the polling place of the election precinct that the judge serves. Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986…

Sec. 32.072. DUTIES AND WORKING HOURS OF CLERKS. (a) The presiding judge shall designate the working hours of and assign the duties to be performed by the election clerks serving under the judge. (b) Subject to Section 32.073, clerks may be assigned to work for different lengths …

Sec. 32.073. ABSENCE OF ELECTION OFFICERS FROM POLLING PLACE. (a) The presiding judge and the clerks who are on duty at the time of any manual count or examination of ballots before the time for closing the polls shall remain on duty without leaving the polling place while the po…

Sec. 32.074. ADMINISTRATION OF OATHS. An election judge or clerk may administer any oath required or authorized to be made at a polling place. Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 32.075. LAW ENFORCEMENT DUTIES AND POWERS. (a) The presiding judge shall preserve order and prevent breaches of the peace and violations of this code in the polling place and in the area within which electioneering and loitering are prohibited from the time the judge arrives…

Sec. 32.076. DISCLOSURE OF E-MAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER RESTRICTED. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), an e-mail address or personal phone number of an election judge or clerk collected or maintained by the authority conducting the election is confidential and does not …

Sec. 32.091. COMPENSATION FOR SERVICES AT POLLING PLACE. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), an election judge or clerk is entitled to compensation for services rendered at a precinct polling place at an hourly rate not to exceed the amount fixed by the appropriate authorit…

Sec. 32.092. COMPENSATION FOR DELIVERING ELECTION RECORDS AND SUPPLIES. (a) The election judge or clerk who delivers the precinct election records, keys to ballot boxes or other election equipment, and unused election supplies after an election is entitled to compensation for tha…

Sec. 32.093. AUTHORITY FIXING COMPENSATION. The compensation of election judges and clerks shall be fixed by the following authority: (1) for an election ordered by the governor or a county authority, the commissioners court; (2) for an election ordered by an authority of a polit…

Sec. 32.094. STATEMENT OF COMPENSATION. (a) After each election, each presiding judge serving in the election shall prepare and sign, in duplicate, a statement containing the following information: (1) the name and address of the presiding judge and each clerk who served under th…

Sec. 32.111. TRAINING STANDARDS FOR ELECTION JUDGES. (a) The secretary of state shall: (1) adopt standards of training in election law and procedure for presiding or alternate election judges; (2) develop materials for a standardized curriculum for that training, including a publ…

Sec. 32.1111. ONLINE TRAINING. (a) The secretary of state shall: (1) make available a standardized training program developed under Section 32.111: (A) entirely via the Internet; and (B) at any time, without a requirement for prior registration; (2) require the passage of an exam…

Sec. 32.112. EXPENSE OF TRAINING JUDGES. The governing body of a political subdivision may appropriate funds to: (1) compensate its election judges, early voting clerk, and deputy early voting clerks in charge of early voting polling places for attending a training program requir…

Sec. 32.113. TRAINING PROGRAMS. (a) The governing body of a political subdivision other than a county may, and the county executive committee of a political party shall, provide training for its election officers using the standardized training program and materials developed and…

Sec. 32.114. PUBLIC COUNTY TRAINING PROGRAM. (a) The county clerk shall provide one or more sessions of training using the standardized training program and materials developed and provided by the secretary of state under Section 32.111 for the election judges and clerks appointe…

Sec. 32.115. SECRETARY OF STATE TO ASSIST IN TRAINING. On request of a county executive committee or a county clerk, as appropriate, the secretary of state shall schedule and provide assistance for the training of election judges and clerks under Section 32.113 or 32.114. The sec…

Sec. 33.001. WATCHER DEFINED. In this code, "watcher" means a person appointed under this subchapter to observe the conduct of an election on behalf of a candidate, a political party, or the proponents or opponents of a measure. Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,…

Sec. 33.0015. CHAPTER PURPOSE AND WATCHER DUTY. The purpose of this chapter is to preserve the integrity of the ballot box in accordance with Section 4, Article VI, Texas Constitution, by providing for the appointment of watchers. It is the intent of the legislature that watchers…

Sec. 33.0016. REFERENCES TO EARLY VOTING BALLOT BOARD IN THIS CHAPTER. A reference in this chapter to an early voting ballot board includes a signature verification committee. Added by Acts 2021, 87th Leg., 2nd C.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 1), Sec. 4.03, eff. December 2, 2021.

Sec. 33.002. APPOINTMENT BY CANDIDATE. (a) Watchers may be appointed by each candidate whose name appears on the ballot or the list of declared write-in candidates in an election for: (1) a public office other than the office of vice-president of the United States; or (2) an offi…

Sec. 33.003. APPOINTMENT BY POLITICAL PARTY. (a) The county chair of each political party that has one or more nominees on the ballot may appoint watchers. (b) If the county chair does not make an authorized appointment, any three members of the county executive committee may mak…

Sec. 33.004. APPOINTMENT FOR WRITE-IN CANDIDATE. (a) A group of registered voters may appoint watchers on behalf of a write-in candidate in an election in which a declaration of write-in candidacy is not required to be filed. (b) To be eligible to participate in the appointment u…

Sec. 33.005. APPOINTMENT FOR ELECTION ON MEASURE. (a) In an election on a measure, watchers may be appointed by the campaign treasurer or an assistant campaign treasurer of a specific-purpose political committee that supports or opposes the measure. (b) This section does not appl…

Sec. 33.006. CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT. (a) For an appointment of a watcher to be effective, the appointing authority must issue a certificate of appointment to the appointee. (b) A certificate of appointment must: (1) be in writing and signed by the appointing authority or, for…

Sec. 33.007. NUMBER AND PLACE OF SERVICE OF WATCHERS. (a) Each appointing authority may appoint not more than two watchers for each precinct polling place, meeting place for an early voting ballot board, or central counting station involved in the election. (b) Each appointing au…

Sec. 33.008. TRAINING PROGRAM. The secretary of state shall develop and maintain a training program for watchers. The training program must: (1) be available: (A) entirely via the Internet; and (B) at any time, without a requirement for prior registration; and (2) provide a watch…

Sec. 33.031. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. (a) To be eligible to serve as a watcher, a person must be a qualified voter: (1) of the county in which the person is to serve, in an election ordered by the governor or a county authority or in a primary election; (2) of the part o…

Sec. 33.032. INELIGIBILITY OF CANDIDATE FOR PUBLIC OFFICE. (a) A person is ineligible to serve as a watcher in an election if the person is a candidate for a public office in an election to be held on the same day. (b) In this section, "candidate" means a person who has taken aff…

Sec. 33.033. INELIGIBILITY OF EMPLOYEE OR RELATIVE OF ELECTION OFFICER. (a) A person is ineligible to serve as a watcher at a particular location if the person is the employer of or is employed by or related within the second degree by consanguinity or affinity, as determined und…

Sec. 33.034. INELIGIBILITY OF PUBLIC OFFICER. (a) A person who holds an elective public office is ineligible to serve as a watcher in an election. (b) For purposes of this section, a deputy or assistant serving under a public officer does not hold a public office. Acts 1985, 69th…

Sec. 33.035. INELIGIBILITY OF PERSON CONVICTED OF CERTAIN OFFENSES. A person is ineligible to serve as a watcher in an election if the person has been finally convicted of a felony: (1) of the first or second degree; or (2) in connection with conduct directly attributable to an e…

Sec. 33.051. ACCEPTANCE OF WATCHER. (a) A watcher appointed to serve at a precinct polling place, a meeting place for an early voting ballot board, or a central counting station must deliver the following materials to the presiding judge at the time the watcher reports for servic…

Sec. 33.052. HOURS OF SERVICE AT PRECINCT POLLING PLACE. A watcher at a precinct polling place may begin service at any time after the presiding judge arrives at the polling place on election day and may remain at the polling place until the presiding judge and the clerks complet…

Sec. 33.053. HOURS OF SERVICE AT EARLY VOTING POLLING PLACE. A watcher serving at an early voting polling place may be present at the polling place at any time it is open and until completion of the securing of any voting equipment used at the polling place that is required to be…

Sec. 33.054. HOURS OF SERVICE AT EARLY VOTING BALLOT BOARD MEETING OR SIGNATURE VERIFICATION COMMITTEE MEETING. (a) A watcher serving at the meeting place of an early voting ballot board or signature verification committee may be present at any time the board or committee is proc…

Sec. 33.055. HOURS OF SERVICE AT CENTRAL COUNTING STATION. (a) A watcher serving at a central counting station may be present at any time the station is open for the purpose of processing or preparing to process election results and until the election officers complete their duti…

Sec. 33.056. OBSERVING ACTIVITY GENERALLY. (a) Except as provided by Section 33.057, a watcher is entitled to observe any activity conducted at the location at which the watcher is serving. A watcher is entitled to sit or stand near enough to see and hear the election officers co…