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