(Chapter 277 of the Texas Election Code, copied by Friends of ACC on December 1, 2009)

ELECTION CODE --- TITLE 16. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

CHAPTER 277. PETITION PRESCRIBED BY LAW OUTSIDE CODE

Sec. 277.001. APPLICABILITY OF CHAPTER.  This chapter applies to a petition authorized or required to be filed under a law outside this code in connection with an election, except a petition for a local option election held under the Alcoholic Beverage Code.

Sec. 277.002. VALIDITY OF PETITION SIGNATURES.

 (a)  For a petition signature to be valid, a petition must:

(1)  contain in addition to the signature:

(A)  the signer's printed name;

(B)  the signer's:

(i)  date of birth; or

(ii)  voter registration number and, if the territory from which signatures must be obtained is situated in more than one county, the county of registration;

(C)  the signer's residence address; and

(D)  the date of signing; and

(2)  comply with any other applicable requirements prescribed by law.

(b)  The signature is the only information that is required to appear on the petition in the signer's own handwriting.

(c)  The use of ditto marks or abbreviations does not invalidate a signature if the required information is reasonably ascertainable.

(d)  The omission of the state from the signer's residence address does not invalidate a signature unless the political subdivision from which the signature is obtained is situated in more than one state. The omission of the zip code from the address does not invalidate a signature.

(e)  A petition signature is invalid if the signer signed the petition earlier than the 180th day before the date the petition is filed.

Sec. 277.0021. MEANING OF QUALIFIED VOTER.  A reference in a law outside this code to "qualified voter" in the context of eligibility to sign a petition means "registered voter."

Sec. 277.0022. WITHDRAWAL OF SIGNATURE.  (a)  A signer may not withdraw the signature from a petition on or after the date the petition is received by the authority with whom it is required to be filed. Before that date, a signer may withdraw the signature by deleting the signature from the petition or by filing with the authority with whom the petition is required to be filed an affidavit requesting that the signature be withdrawn from the petition.

(b)  A withdrawal affidavit filed by mail is considered to be filed at the time of its receipt by the appropriate authority.

(c)  The withdrawal of a signature nullifies the signature on the petition and places the signer in the same position as if the signer had not signed the petition.

Sec. 277.0023. SUPPLEMENTING PETITION.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b), a petition may not be supplemented, modified, or amended on or after the date it is received by the authority with whom it is required to be filed unless expressly authorized by law.

(b)  If a petition is required to be filed by a specified deadline, the petitioner may file one supplementary petition by that deadline if the original petition contains a number of signatures that exceeds the required minimum number by 10 percent or more and is received by the authority with whom it is required to be filed not later than the 10th day before the date of the deadline. The authority shall notify the petitioner as to the sufficiency of the petition not later than the fifth regular business day after the date of its receipt.

Sec. 277.0024. COMPUTING NUMBER OF SIGNATURES.  If the minimum number of signatures required for a petition is determined by a computation applied to the number of registered voters of a particular territory, voters whose names appear on the list of registered voters with the notation "S", or a similar notation, shall be excluded from the computation.