Escapees July-August 2022

“Lately, states have also created new laws that a ff ect domicile. Many of those laws concern voting.”

concern voting. In fact, in Texas, the new voter quali fi cation laws are more strict than previous laws. Among the new restrictions, the laws require a voter to show that the voter did not just move to Texas to vote. That implies an intent. Escapees has been vigilant at protecting the right of its members to vote in Livingston, Texas, if you have chosen this location as your domicile. Here is where it gets a bit more tricky. Let’s say Bill receives a jury summons to appear in Livingston, Texas, on a certain date, so that he can serve on a jury. At the time, Bill and Dawn are happily cruising in the Mediterranean (I must admit, both did seem to know how to enjoy life). The new voter registration eligibility requirements include this: “I am a resident of Polk County, Texas”. Let’s say that Bill thinks that if he checks that box “no,” then he will no longer receive those jury summons. And he is right. If he checks that box “no”, he will no longer receive jury summons. However, that’s not the end of what happens with the jury summons answers. The jury summons are administered by the Polk County District Clerk, Bobbye

Christopher. Ms. Christopher’s of fi ce receives the response to the jury summons that says, “no longer a resident” and she must send that information on to the Secretary of State’s of fi ce in Austin. Once the Secretary of State’s of fi ce receives notice that a particular person is claiming that they should not receive a jury summons because they are not a resident of the county, that person is removed from the voter registration fi les. That information is then sent to Polk County Tax Assessor/Collector, Leslie Jones-Burks. Ms. Burks’ of fi ce is also responsible for vehicle registration, which is step one in creating your Livingston, Texas domicile. When she receives notice from the Secretary of State that a person is claiming that they are no longer a resident of the county, they are automatically removed from the voter registration. Let’s say Bill and Dawn return from their trip to the Mediterranean just in time to vote in the 2022 November elections. They have voted absentee in Livingston, Texas, for many years. This time, though, they check online fi rst (because they have

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July/August 2022 ESCAPEES Magazine