Texas House bill by Rep. Cortez mandates specific printing standards for early voting ballots

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Philip Cortez seeks to standardize the printing of early voting ballot applications and materials to improve clarity and accessibility in elections, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 54 Democrats and 52 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while one Democrat and 29 Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat voted against it.

Philip Cortez introduced the bill in the Texas House on Tuesday, March 4, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Cortez graduated from Palo Alto Community College in 2000 with an AA and again in 2002 from the University of Texas with a BA.

Cortez, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State House in 2017 to represent the state’s 117th House district, replacing previous state representative Rick Galindo.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the text on an application for a ballot to be voted by mail’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates that the application form for an early voting ballot by mail must be at least eight inches by nine inches, use at least 12-point type, and be printed in black text on a white background. Additionally, all balloting materials, including instructions, must adhere to the same printing specifications of at least 12-point type and black text on a white background. The provisions apply to elections ordered on or after September 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Mihaela Plesa (Democrat – District 70).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Friday, May 30, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.