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SB1862

Regular Session

Relating to interstate notification by the voter registrar of certain applicants for voter registration.

Low
Low Cost
Effective:2025-09-01
Enforcing Agencies

County Voter Registrars • Texas Secretary of State

SB1862
Low
Relating to interstate notification by the voter registrar of certain applicants for voter registration.
Low Compliance Urgency
Requires routine attention
Cost Impact
Low
Effective
2025-09-01
Enforcing Agencies
County Voter RegistrarsTexas Secretary of State
Primary Author: Sen. Bryan Hughes
89th Texas Legislature
jdkey.com
01

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

  • Effective Date: September 1, 2025
  • Compliance Deadline: August 1, 2025 (Recommended). Election software vendors must deploy and test database updates prior to the effective date to ensure data captured on Day 1 is compliant.
  • Agency Rulemaking: The Secretary of State is not explicitly required to hold public hearings, but technical guidance regarding file formats (CSV/XML) and transmission methods is expected. Monitor the Elections Division closely in Q1/Q2 2025.

Immediate Action Plan

  • 1. Tech Vendors: Immediately audit your database schema to ensure "Previous County" exists as a distinct, exportable field.
  • 2. Legal/Compliance: Draft a "Legislative Update" advisory for your county clients, informing them that your software will be updated to meet SB1862 requirements before September 2025.
  • 3. VRD Organizers: Audit your physical and digital intake forms. If you use a web form to generate PDFs, add a validation rule requiring "County" if "Previous State" is selected.
  • 4. Monitor: Assign a compliance officer to track Texas Secretary of State election advisories for the release of the technical data standard.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

Election Technology Vendors: Review Master Service Agreements (MSAs) with county clients immediately.

  • If your contract categorizes legislative compliance updates as "billable change orders," prepare quotes for the necessary backend development.
  • If compliance is covered under "general maintenance," absorb the development cost into your FY2025 budget.

Hiring/Training

Civic Organizations (Voter Registration Drives):

  • Update volunteer training materials. Volunteers must now ensure applicants listing a previous address explicitly provide the City and County.
  • Failure to capture these specific data points may result in applications being flagged as "incomplete" by county registrars, stalling the registration process.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

GovTech/Database Administrators:

  • Schema Update: You must modify the voter registration database to store "Previous Residence County" as a discrete field, not just a text blob.
  • Automated Reporting: Develop a mandatory monthly export function containing: Name, DOB, SSN/DL, VUID, Current Address, and Previous Address (City/County).
  • Cadence: Systems must be capable of generating this report for transmission to the Secretary of State at least once per month.

Fees & Costs

  • No New Statutory Fees: There are no filing fees associated with this bill.
  • Development Costs: Vendors will incur one-time engineering costs to update intake forms (UI) and backend reporting logic (SQL/Export).

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

  • Data Transmission Standards: The statute mandates *that* data be sent, but not *how*. The Secretary of State has not yet defined the required file format (e.g., JSON, XML, CSV) or the transmission protocol (Secure FTP vs. API). Do not hard-code transmission logic until technical specifications are released.
  • Geographic Nomenclature: The law requires "County" of previous residence. Software logic must be flexible enough to handle applicants from states that do not use counties (e.g., Louisiana Parishes, Alaska Boroughs, Virginia Independent Cities) to prevent valid applications from being rejected by rigid validation rules.

Need Help Understanding Implementation?

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Information presented is for general knowledge only and is provided without warranty, express or implied. Consult qualified government affairs professionals and legal counsel before making compliance decisions.

02

Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

Filed
Mar 4, 2025
Passed Senate
Apr 24, 2025
Passed House
May 24, 2025
Signed
Jun 20, 2025
TopicsElectionsElections--administrationElections--registration & SuffrageSecretary of State
03

Senate Authors

Sen. Bryan HughesRepublican · Primary Author

House Sponsor

Rep. Hillary HicklandRepublican · Primary Sponsor

Bill Text(with markup)

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

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Quick Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SB1862

Q

What does Texas SB1862 do?

SB1862 mandates that Texas election systems actively capture and report the "City and County" of previous residence for new voters to facilitate interstate roll maintenance. While the statutory duty lies with the Secretary of State and County Registrars, the operational burden falls on Election Technology Vendors to upgrade database architectures and Civic Organizations to adjust intake protocols by September 1, 2025. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: September 1, 2025 Compliance Deadline: August 1, 2025 (Recommended).

Q

Who authored SB1862?

SB1862 was authored by Texas Senator Bryan Hughes during the Regular Session.

Q

When was SB1862 signed into law?

SB1862 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Q

Which agencies enforce SB1862?

SB1862 is enforced by County Voter Registrars and Texas Secretary of State.

Q

How urgent is compliance with SB1862?

The compliance urgency for SB1862 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

Q

What is the cost impact of SB1862?

The cost impact of SB1862 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

Q

What topics does SB1862 address?

SB1862 addresses topics including elections, elections--administration, elections--registration & suffrage and secretary of state.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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