SB 505 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to processes to address election irregularities; providing a civil penalty.

SB 505 creates a formal process for certain election participants - such as candidates, party chairs, election judges, and political committee heads - to request explanations from county clerks about election irregularities. Under Section 280.001, these individuals can seek written explanations for issues like voting discrepancies or documentation gaps within 20 days, with a follow-up request allowed if unsatisfied (requiring a 10-day response). If unresolved, they may escalate to the Secretary of State for an audit within 30 days (Section 280.002), requiring submission of prior requests and responses. The bill directly affects those actively involved in elections as defined in the text, focusing on transparency in addressing irregularities rather than imposing penalties.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Nov 2024
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Nov 25, 2024 Last action May 27, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 2 edits · Apr 16, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted and reorganized from a draft introduction to an engrossed version, with no substantive changes to the election irregularity procedures. The core provisions regarding requests for explanations, audits, civil penalties, and conservator appointments remain identical in content, though the formatting was cleaned up and some minor text adjustments were made for consistency.
TECHNICAL

The bill text was reformatted from a draft introduction to an engrossed version, removing page markers and standardizing the layout while keeping all substantive legal provisions unchanged.

Minor text adjustments were made throughout the document to improve consistency and readability, such as standardizing section headers and removing extraneous formatting marks.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 15, 2025

How they voted

2010
Passed
Total votes 30
Apr 15, 2025
D Democratic10
10 Nay
100% Nay
R Republican20
20 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
42
Key actions
12
Committee
12
May 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Committee
Referred to Elections
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Apr 16, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Apr 15, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (20-10)
senate
Mar 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Mar 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
9 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors