Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable 000. A, :heppsrU Comptroller of Publlo hooounts Aumtin, T*m?m We have your re nion ar to Whothem the eighteen months m4n Artiale VX oi the Texas ConstrltutiQn la to L3na4r-m0ah be&s .” adopted bl an llea tio n held on Augurt or the United States Meritlme tirrioe tete8 krohant marine, and who 10 other- lob voter m.a4r the 1~s and Constltutlon to pay 4 poll tax or to hold I$ rooelpt ror rng poll iax asceraecl against him, a# a oonditioa preoodent to hia rl&t to vote ln any eLmotJ,on held under tho authority at tSe Laws of ttie state, during the t&i6 the UnitarP Ctetee ie engage& in iightlng a we?, or within on.6 year after the olose of the oelea- dar year lc “MAoh a”.id ‘war is t&&netod. *Provldad, however, thtbst the roragoine provl8ionr of thla aeotion do not oanrer the right to vote upon any person who is a nm~ber of the rsgular hxibliahment Won. Geo.~l.“h~y~ard, page 2 of the tlnlted states amy, Hevy. or Enrlne Corpe; aud Provided further, that all peraone I-: the ermsd foroea. of the United ctetca, or the aomponent breoohes thareot, not membsrs of ths regular es- tablishment of ths Unit&d Stetes Army, Navy, or Merlne Corpe, are hareby dealaxed not to bo dim- qusllrisa rrom voting by roeson or sny provlelon or aub-section *Irlfth* of 9eotIor, 1 of thlr Artl- ale.” ( EmphssIs ourr) “‘s have found no reported oourt daoiaIon oonstrulng thle oonstltutIonel amandment. Artlole 23, Revised Civil LFttatntes of Toxam, provider: **Month* meena s oelendsr E0nth.w The word smonthv (16 uaod~in crivll statutea has b440 held to mesn II oslender month. ‘Ih parte ~osisler, 69 !?. F. (26) ytf my. ~&.m. APP. 1934); Gardner v. VnIvsrsel Life & Aooldent 5, 7:. 124) 582 (Tex. Civ. App. 1942, nrit 0r error dLsr;,lss;i). ‘A psrlod d a month OT months ,Is to bs oomputed ’ not by oounting dey6, but by looking at ths oalendsr, on4 it run8 rrom 4 airen day in ona month to a day ore bbe oorre~pondlng number in the nat or rpaolflad suooeedlng month.” Gardner v. Universal Life &. Aooidont Co. Inc., supra. In vlex or the lhovo suth~rltleo, it Is our opinion that the wcr4s “elghtean montha” ee ussd in the above quoted oonstltutionsl provlslon, mean ‘%&ghtsen oslendar monthso. “peOlS- laelly, if an alsotlon be held on poorember 5, 1946, 4 psraon 4le- ohsrgsd on or after Usp 5, 1945, lf otherwise quelIfIsd, msy vote at suoh eleotion without psyln~ s poll tex snd without holding I receipt for a poll tax, but a parson dlrrohsrged on or before Meg 4, 1945, would not be entitled to vote at suoh eleotlon wlth- out prymeat of a polL tax, unleaa otherwise exetcpt. Zrufzbers of *ths 4rmod Forae Rsserve of the United Ptfite8n are lnoluded in the olssser of persons liatt4 In this eonetltutloasl provision. In epplylng the alghteea-months* period dIecusr;eC above, e person*8 statue aa a member of euoh Armed For04 Tieaerve, 8s ml1 a8 hia strrtue ss 8 member of tt:e other eervIo~s snumeroted, must be ooneidered. A psrson who is, et the time of an election, or who wea, within elghtsen months prior to suoh eleotlan, 8 cember of the &me4 Forces Reserve of the United %etee, snd who 1s otherdne qualltled, mey vote et auoh election, WIthOut Paying a Poll tax and without holding 4 raccl,pt therefor, 0v0n flon. o*o. H. Fhappard, p ge 3 thou,@ he may have been dI6OhEr Ed o? re1e668d froDl 6OtiVO duty ia the Arasd Form6 more then e f ght6en month6 prior to the 6l.d ion. The 16st 016UaO Of tba iIr6b pErE@Eph Or the OonSti- tutfOli61 p r OVi6iOn ill qUe6tiOU Ib it it6E& lp liOEttOn t0 ll@ OtfOClS br1& US&or 6UthOrity Of th0 1alVS Of this *Et6 "dUrI6a tb tire the UnitEd "tEtO6 16 eilg86*4 ia r ig h ti86gl Wr , Or With in 01 1 0 te6r arter the oloee or the oaldndar year In whlah eaidwu la t~l'lBiZlEt6d.* Iour ettOntlox i6 invited to our Opinion E&O-6828 in whleh It was held that, under tho ad valorem tax atotutoa, ~rf& Rar 11 has not yet temlnatod, and wIl1 not torminato, In *ha lag111 SOIkEe, Until the tk~@OSa Of bh0 usif .%OtOS, of tho PrOEideat by authority rr08ka0nipO88, r0rtriiy pr0016ima that it iS tOlWlill6t6d. Your attention Is rurthw Iav~tsd to our Opinion fo. O-6821 whloh, In construing this oonatitutlonal provIaIon, holair that dthou&h the pErSOn n6mO4 lW not rOqUil’6d to pay 8 poll t 8X or to hold 0 reOeipt th6rrior aa 0 6QdifiOa pnoedont to their the- prarIaIon dome not oxemptanyono fr131th0 pafment and thet thorafore t&o tax aaaoaaat-oalleotor rhoold not 166~6 6n. *xemptIon OErtiriOIIta uador this provlalon. Yours very truly, ATTORltEY CIERERAI.OF TFXAF h6Si StEnt