Tex. Elec. Code § 276.004 · Chapter 276. MISCELLANEOUS OFFENSES AND OTHER PROVISIONS
UNLAWFULLY PROHIBITING EMPLOYEE FROM VOTING.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) A person commits an offense if, with respect to another person over whom the person has authority in the scope of employment, the person knowingly:
(1) refuses to permit the other person to be absent from work on election day or while early voting is in progress for the purpose of attending the polls to vote; or
(2) subjects or threatens to subject the other person to a penalty for attending the polls on election day or while early voting is in progress to vote.
(b) It is an exception to the application of this section that the person's conduct occurs in connection with an election in which the polls are open on election day or while early voting is in progress for voting for two consecutive hours outside of the voter's working hours.
(c) In this section, "penalty" means a loss or reduction of wages or another benefit of employment.
(d) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 728, Sec. 80, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.
Amended by:
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., 2nd C.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 1), Sec. 7.02, eff. December 2, 2021.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/EL/htm/EL.276.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 a77fa9009a45246cc3c48264251912b9ba54eb0725f8c6a90d723988a6d4dd39
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.