Bon. Stewart W. Bellman Oplnlon Ho. v-871.
C~lmlnal Dietrlot Attorney
Tarrant County appllcablllty
Fort Worth, Texas lb: E:
L Swrst Ballot
EO eleotions to be
i&l
held for school pur-
Dear Sirr POE68c
We refer to your recent letter which in sub-
stanoe rsade aa followr:
fn Artlols VXII of S-B. 116, Aots Slot
LegIslaturei provldla loa th6 aonaolldatlon
o!’ “dormant rohool d4fetriots, the following
language appears:
” Elections shall be held In such
ooaaX4kl districtr ior the aseumption
of outstanding bonds, if any, for the lev-
ying or taxes therefor, ana r02 the levy-
ing of a looal maintenan0.e tax; said elso-
tlons to be ordered and held as now pro-
vided by law,’ (Emphasis ours. )-
“Article 2784e, et IWQ. of Title 49, Chap-
ter 13, V.C.S., presoribes the procedure to be
iollowbd now In such elections, unless H.B.‘Noo.
357, Aats 51st Legirlature, the Searet Ballot
Bill, has made 801~8ohanges.’
Question 1, Doss the Seoret Ballot Bill
apply to euoh eleatlonlr held
for the above purposes?
Question 2. Shorila rcheol bon.4 and aala-
tsnancs tax eleotlona be held
under the prooed~e provided
in Title 49, Chapter 13, V,O.
se?
That part o? Article VIII of S.B, 116, quoted
above, requires "said eleotionsn (bond assunrptlon and
*
. *
Hon. Stowmt W. liolItnon, page 2 (v-871)
mointenmao tax olootlons) *to be ordered and hold ao
now provide4 by law,.” This p~ooislen~ necoerarlly refers
to tlrocrs opbaifio tbohool bona an4 tax eloation laws
found la Tltlo 49, Chapter 13, V.O.B., for the reason
that the gotiora1 provlolono of the election laws cov-
ore4 in Title 50, VA *St, do n6t provide for such spe-
cial oloctlono . Laws provfdln~ for epecfal elections
roi $&re ardod a8 spoa&aa laws. Wall&s v, Wlll?,ou&
.!! 95, 108 S,W. 153 mOl3).
Art&lo 2785 of the oohoo3 oIectlm Iawo pro-
otrlboo the procedure “now provided by law” for eloo-
tLon8 to J.ovy echool molntontmcs taX and for the loou-
anoe of ochoolhouoo bonds oubjoct to the pPovlelono of
Artlole 27848, V.C.S. Artlclo 2785 also opoclfioo that
“oald elections shall be held and conducted as provided
bz iaw for goneral elections, except as provldod hore-
. Other oleatlon procoduro ior the voting, on4 isau-
moo of bonds b independent dlotricta may be found in
Art fob 2788. %o~toroo the @PovXrlens ol these laws,
zt Pell.ovo that’lbatto~l, or ~OCbdtm ncrt controlled by
these r&o01 alsotioa laws thomeelvoa aro rogtiated bj
APticrlo 2786b, Sections I and 2, a school
lloctlon law, prooorlboo a prooedure”ao now provided by
law” r0r en olrotion b 8ohool amr:ati3 eUWrged or
attennbea 011the qurotroa of the ao8w@Won of bonded ln-
4obtednooo by said dletrlct oo onLa~$od or extended an4
t&o IovyUg an4 crolletitlng of a tax therein to pay the
lntoroot on4 pr#no%pol thovoei. That statute further
opoolrloo that tho Law la ~?oieronco to the oalllng of
elootlono and tho holding of oleetiono ,for the iosuanao
of oohool houoo baQarb any ouoh alotrlst (see Artlcleo
27840 2783 2789) oha$l be appllaable to ouch election
to t&i oxtekt *hot ruoh law lo applloablo and not In
oonfllct harewith, aad In tho event of’ conflict the pro-
vialone of this Act ohall.ooatrol~” Slnee Artlolo 2786b
rei‘ers to Artiole 2785 with regard to olootlon procoduro,
matters or procedure not controlled by this o&a001 law
ltaelf or the sohool law8 to which it makes reforo~ae ail
applloablo to ouoh b&n&aorsioptl~n elootlons nrs.~pogu-
latod by the #onriM provioiona of the olmtion 18~6,
Title go.
It has boon ho14 that as a onePa rule mot-
tom not coatrollod bf thi oohool ob(L&utes providing ior
-.. .
,
Bon. stewart v. wm 1
the election Of
era1 provlal,ons
50, Revised Civil StBtuteB,
S.W.2d 327 Tax. Clv. App.
S.W.26 4'2 Tex. Civ. App.
SX.710 (Tim Glv. App, 1922
oarrled over with respect to bond and mainten-
ance tax eleatlons by virtue of epeoific grovirlonr of
Aed16 2785 qu0t6d b~6Sa. mfia V, crwrpl, 34 s.Um
616 (Iox. Clv, App. lg30).
Article 2978 OS Title 30, V.C.S,, aa amtied
prQv1ues in part:
"In g&l sleGtiolw by the people, ththrvote
-official. bollo2, whloh shall be
3 guarded an6 cronduct-
ed as towdetect iraud and preserve the purity
of the ballot. Ho ballot shall be umd in
We rind no rtatutsm whioh eioopt sohool dir-
t&&8 in their qxclal hop and Miatenaqs tax elm-
tiom from-the une of the Offlelal Ballot and the for8
It #hall take aI prworl in the general provirions or
the sleotion lam TItlr 88 awmdsd~. Artiole 2785,
to vhioh Ariiolc, kf86b WKW ?mfemmca, speoifioall pro-
vldes that raid elrotSanr ahall bo'bela and oon~uo? eb
aa provldad q law wrsacr&cl olro$f&g& except as pro-
vided here$n.
floum Bill 357, the SsolM Ballot Will, IO an
amndatory law amending aortain enumerate& general pro-
ViPimlf3 or the election law8 of Title 50, R.C.S. 1925.
Examinction ‘3f tho original bills on file in the oifl.co
of SecrsWry of State reveals that E.B. 357 becameof-
teotive on &no 7, 1949, ant3 that S.B. lo. 116, e Ollmor-
Alkln Bill oontaininc Artiole VIII quoted f.n your letter,
became eSSectivc on June 8, 1949. Hmse Bill 35"l does
not undertake to amend the provlalona of the sohool laws
herein dlsou~mxl. Therefore, as herainbsforc stated, to
. -or
L
Ea. atewart w. He3lman, gage 4 (v-871)
the extent that the procedure for school bond and maln-
tanl&lre tox eleehkms are got covered b$ the eohool lavs
tUnm6lves, the ganer81 p*ovisiens of the eleation laws,
T&t16 50, ae 8mwubd by the Secret till& Bill, are ag-
pltoable and eomtg~lllng.
Prbeedwe GQPoowlwt~ and holding of
bead aaerlmptlon md maintenance tax elections
required by Article VIII of S.B. 116, Acts
fiLrt Le&elsture, is prescribed in the school
sleation lawsof Title ,49, Chrapter 13, Re-
19915, 88 aaended. Artl-
5, 2?86b, 2m8~2923, v.c-s,
Zfattsfs of'proaedum in the above elea-
tlona not contro;lle& by spec%$lc school eleo-
tion laws are regulated by the general elec-
tion laws as amended by the “Sec,ret Ballot
BtLl.” @tie vi,, Qr\a~e, 34 S,W.26 616.
Poura very truly,
WRERALOF TE%AS
A'I'TORREY
.
Oheotr B. Olli8on
t3lb$ra Assistant