Tex. Elec. Code § 33.056 · Subchapter C. SERVICE
OBSERVING ACTIVITY GENERALLY.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) Except as provided by Section 33.057, a watcher is entitled to observe any activity conducted at the location at which the watcher is serving. A watcher is entitled to sit or stand near enough to see and hear the election officers conducting the observed activity, except as otherwise prohibited by this chapter.
(b) A watcher is entitled to sit or stand near enough to the member of a counting team who is announcing the votes to verify that the ballots are read correctly or to a member who is tallying the votes to verify that they are tallied correctly.
(c) A watcher is entitled to inspect the returns and other records prepared by the election officers at the location at which the watcher is serving.
(d) A watcher may not be prohibited from making written notes while on duty. Before permitting a watcher who made written notes at a precinct polling place to leave while the polls are open, the presiding officer may require the watcher to leave the notes with another person on duty at the polling place, selected by the watcher, for retention until the watcher returns to duty.
(e) Except as provided by Section 33.057(b), a watcher may not be denied free movement where election activity is occurring within the location at which the watcher is serving.
(f) In this code, a watcher who is entitled to "observe" an election activity is entitled to sit or stand near enough to see and hear the activity.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.
Amended by:
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., 2nd C.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 1), Sec. 4.07, 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.33.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 a6426f99308cbf4a6e6e959fae094c607669504918db320424aed1f60e72e9ce
- 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
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
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.