AUSTIN, TX — With a unanimous 30-0 final vote in the Texas Senate and overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, Senator Paul Bettencourt’s Senate Bill 985 has passed the Legislature and is now headed to the Governor’s desk for signature. As the first major voter integrity bill of the session, SB 985 addresses the unintended consequences of a 2023 law that forced many counties—like Brazos County—to double their polling sites and election workers overnight, despite no increase in voter population. The bill restores clarity and cost-efficiency by allowing counties to combine low- turnout precincts, reducing staffing burdens and unnecessary spending without compromising voter access. Backed by all election stakeholders and election administrators across the state, SB 985 reinforces Texas’ commitment to secure, transparent, and efficient elections while empowering local officials with the flexibility they need to run elections effectively.

“SB 985 is a commonsense correction to an unintended consequence from last session, Sb 924, which left counties scrambling to double polling locations and workers,” said Senator Bettencourt. “This bill ensures smarter use of taxpayer dollars and better access for voters without sacrificing voter integrity whatsoever.”

SB 985 addresses a flawed mandate from SB 924 (2023) that impacted ~90 counties using countywide polling by restoring precinct combination authority for counties under specific population thresholds and voter counts, allowing:

• Precincts under 500 voters to be combined.
• In counties >250,000 population: precincts between 500–750 voters can be combined.
• For non-countywide polling counties under 1.2M people: precincts may be combined up to 10,000 registered voters, if integrity safeguards are met.
• Prevents voting rights violations by explicitly prohibiting combinations that dilute minority voting strength under the federal Voting Rights Act.

SB 985 allows local election officials to optimize resources, reduce confusion, and maintain accessibility. SB 985 includes built-in protections ensuring that precinct combinations do not dilute voter representation, not discourage voter turnout, and are geographically sensible and accessible.

“Election integrity isn’t just about security—it’s about making sure we run efficient, accessible, and effectively fair elections that voters can trust,” added Senator Bettencourt. “Thanks to the House Sponsor Rep. Richard Hayes who shepherded SB 985 through the Texas House and got it across the finish line, along with my colleagues in both chambers Senator Angela Paxton, Senator Kevin Sparks, Rep. Sheryl Cole, Rep. Mano DeAyala, et. al for their support in delivering this important fix.” Senator Bettencourt concluded.

SB 985 takes effect Sept. 1, 2025—ahead of the next major election cycle—giving counties time to implement improvements while working with the Secretary of State’s office and local stakeholders.

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