89R14956 MPF-F     By: Gerdes H.B. No. 4985       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to the procedures for a public test of logic and accuracy   of a voting system for certain elections.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 129.023, Election Code, is amended by   amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (c-2) to read as   follows:          (c)  The general custodian of election records shall adopt   procedures for testing that:                (1)  direct the testing board to cast votes;                (2)  verify that each contest position, as well as each   precinct and ballot style, on the ballot can be voted and is   accurately counted;                (3)  include overvotes and undervotes for each race, if   applicable to the system being tested;                (4)  include write-in votes, when applicable to the   election;                (5)  include provisional votes, if applicable to the   system being tested;                (6)  calculate the expected results from the test   ballots;                (7)  ensure that each voting machine has any public   counter reset to zero and presented to the testing board for   verification before testing;                (8)  require that, for each feature of the system that   allows disabled voters to cast a ballot, at least one vote be cast   and verified by a two-person testing board team using that feature;   [and]                (9)  require that, when all votes are cast, the general   custodian of election records and the testing board observe the   tabulation of all ballots and compare the actual results to the   expected results; and                (10)  verify that, for an election in which a poll list   in the form of an electronic device is used, the precinct and ballot   style associated with each voter on the poll list matches the   precinct and ballot style that will be provided to the voter on a   voting machine.          (c-2)  A test conducted under this section for a runoff   primary election must also require the general custodian of   election records to verify that a poll list in the form of an   electronic device has the correct political party affiliation   information for each voter.          SECTION 2.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to   an election ordered on or after the effective date of this Act.          SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.