781
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
:'OnOrobls John FL. &ook
.3inlnal WItriot Attorney
r:m Antohlo, TaxaS
i?eo~ slrt Attention: XI-. Jay
tloel aubdlvlslon of the etate
coats of suoh sleotlon?
?LIe It obligatory to use the regularly
appolnted elootlon orriciala in this elootlon?”
saotion 19 of sstlolo Bll5h, Varnon's dumtd,ed
Civil ~tatutsa,provides. in part:
*If ths State ?hrd of Eduoatlon approveo
of'th eatabllalvn&t or the Junior College LYa-
trlct, it etxill then be the duty or the Comda-
slonara’ Court or Courts, as the case muy be, to
I
t
Konorable John %. t@obki Fag0.2
enter a~ or&r for an eleotion to be held in
the propored territory wiShin a tkPe not lesrr
then twenty days ana not more than thirt7 da76
triter such arderls 1rsuaQ. to determine whether
or not suah funlo.+ College Dietriot shaa beg
craatsd and roomed.. , .*~
In cpinlon Ho. O-610 we held that. the expense et
au ele~tloa fog t!$e inaorpontlon Of a oity a0 provided by
.;rtio1e llIs4, tl. . S,, dlreotln6j tha ocmntr judge to otall
i suoh eleotion, are to be mplid by the cqmt7 under the pro-
vl3tonr or Artloloa 2943 and 2998, X* U. SW ‘&IS a&me rea-
I soniiui would apply to the sleotion here involved, Dartioular-
i ly shoe Geotlon 19 of Artiale 2BlSh ~remoly direotr the
Comaiaslonem Eour8 of the oounty to call the sleatlon.
artiolea 2943 snd 2996, 8. G. 8.. prooidigg for
t.he payment of the mpgonreaof slsotionn provider
i nArtlofe 2943. Pay of judtgeo and clerk&” “‘~‘v
i RJuQges and Clerk8 oi~~generaL.and~,sDeoial
i.
eleatlona shall.‘bs pal8 !?hree .Dollars ($9] a,
dey eaab, a&l 21frtp (30) Cent8 per hour eaob
t for any tine in efawa of a day*88work a# hero-
i lo. dsflaad; providetlthat in -a.22 &Wtls,e hav-
ia& P poptiatlon in exoem dt~ thrco hundred end
fiity-tfvs thousat (@S,OOO) lnhabltauto, ao-
i aordlng ta the last Dreaedihg or any future
7eberal Caasu8, 5uoh Judge5 and b%e*e shall
be pal4 Five lXUar6 ($31 B day eaoh, and Bif’tf
(50) Cente per hour eaoh Zoa any t~m~J;~;;~s
of a day.8 workaa herein defined.
i. who delivers the returns of eleotion imaediate-
\ lg after the votes have been counted shall be.
r paid ho0 Dollars ($2) for Wab 8errlce, provided
> the oiling. pleoe of his greoFnat lo at lsart
two i”2) lcilos froa the oourthouse, and prorlded
! ala0 he shall make return8 at s21 eleoCZon aup-
plies not Used when he makes retam or the eleo-
tion. ‘Ilen (LO) ProrIcing hours ahall be conaid-
ered a da7 within the meeting ot this :.rtlole.
‘The aom&mnsetioa of 3udges crud ~Glerks ol general
2nd wp.eaini uicctions srmil be guid by ths Coun-
ty ~maeurer of the county whero aueh mrviose
are rt~ndsreb upon m-dur & the Coms~mionora
/ dourt of suah oounty. *
5
::onornble John Fe Shook, Liege 3
"All rqenra8 inournd la provid0w rot&w.
hootha, rtatioaory, oflioial bellow, mo4aa
Or rubber 8tWp8, ttily 8h8Bt8, pOllilMj lf8t8,
~‘Iin8truotloncardr, ballot boxel, s~rolo3m8,
rr*albuWCC aud all other suppl%88 requirecl
ioroondwtiag 8 &On8rdl Or. 8pooial 818OtiOll
etd.1bs paid for by the countf, oxoept tha
008t Of 8Up;ri.jrbg bdh8 rOr Oitb8. iili #LO-
COuat8 iOr CUpp1188 tUrai8h8d Or 6elWlOs8~rur
dered shall first be spproo*d ty tha acnmis-
oionsr8 ocurt, axo*pt tbo awoouut5 Per rotfiyr
booth8 for O~t~e8."
.
ill MBts8C t0 J'OUr ifrEt qUe8tiOJ%,it is OW OR&A-
fOU that Bexaf COUnty ie l&b16 COr the U-t8 Of hnldinc(
the eleotlon to stenulue wlmbhor 8 Junior College Dl8trlot
of Saxar i%xu~O~/ eholl be Ora’QLlted. one0 suoh di8ttiot bee
been cre8tbd. hOwM@, a31 aubuequaat WhOtiOn8 partailling
thwrwto are to bo paid by said dl8triot 84 dsohrsd in our
CpitiOS :iO. +md.
30 e@‘ew rtth ,O&’ OO!lo~U81Oll aa to your seocmd
tpJ8::iOn that “With TOfaT@R~f4 ,%$I tbs i%OO!BQtfUiOIh Or rn?W
supylfekii and 8erVioms by the !i.IKkbl8
00UlltP, w hare Ssen
to find any definite authorltf etetutorr or othemlae.W
if ths oowlty till inOUr II0 obhgation, eXpresa Or inpli6d,
in the 8008pt8W8 Of flWJ 8WViW8 WI& 8Up@i88, end the
CotW88iOwrs' COUrt 5.8 sat~atled a8 to th8 boae fid8 sOtkVeB
of 8Uoh grPtuitie8, U8 era swam ai no rea8oll Why ttrs county
WY ROt 8oOSjIt thW.
Th6 answer to your third qwetion la oontmlled
by hrtiolsa 29'57 8nd 29sB *Ibiah road a8 ~OUOWSI
,8999.?n etmllprecinots
miirt&ols
R'f'he tScmmioo~oner8 oourt at the 2'ebruary
tcm: fihnll. agQOint ?X'QS -oIla tha citiSWAn8 Of
enoh vo%ing preoinot in which there DIW lW88
t&en ona hundred votsre rho have paid tlieir2011
tax a,nd reosived their oertifIoatss of examp-
tion, two reputeble qual?iieb.%sotera 88 judges
'at the ckaotion, ealeototl Srom ditfment pollti-
ccl purtiss, ii ~reotloeble, nho sir011oontlnue
Honorable John 3. .Fhook, PagO 4
..
to (rot tit11 Malr s~0068~0r8 am nQpoiRtid.
rihan the bound8 af the ~mminot ma obenged 90
that, OM IS’nora judges reeids Out8ld8 of the
pmeinot Zor uhioh thy uue 8Qpointad. th8~
oourt~8hell appbtnc other8 to fill auoh vaean-
oy or va88aoies. OWJOf the &d&e8 who shall,
in’nll oa888 balanff trr tho put7 that at the
168% fj8flUtd Wl~OtiOll C88t tb. bWg88t VOtO fOF
CovUZIOr thrOU.@OuC the 23tclW8h6~ ba d4816-
natod aa the pra81ding judge at slootion8; ho
shall spgolnt two oompatent and mputabla g&ml-
ifled voter8 of diftftrant pelitioal~ girtlet if
pwotloablm, to 608 IL8 wlulcs Of th8 elnotion.
Tba order appointing all ju4qa elxill5e entered
of record. ‘&1, QrO8idiZl43 jUigW 8hdl sot in
manlvi~ and depositing the votsa An the ballot
bcixer,ati l
&61 other judge shall aot in oounting
the votu oa8tt onf+olsrk 8hti1 kwrg the poll
list Of qUtiii&Sd VOtW8, Sti Upon th8 frolx: li8t
he &mllnrStr at the %.I- of rating the xwae
and nucGber of cash .voter; the athar olmk shall
6ot ae otmr88sing; olerk, anb qh811 hasp ,tha tally
litIt Of tot08 counted. ::eidoffioems shall per-
form auoh t&her duties ab the prciaidin~ judge
to3 dinot. -
Wnrtlols W3B. ia law30 pmatnot8
rvuy
*F o l prsoinot in uhioh there are one
hundred oltierns or mera *ho bavs ~pld their
poll tax OY IWWiV8d their 0amrioat60 or OX-
aaption, thr oOmmiErioner8 aourt aha 8QpOint
four judgw8 of olaotian~ who ehe+&.,ba oboesn
when praotioable irOn opposi
one of VI~BZ shall bq dwsi~Ra%?~~~%¶~ie”
juUge. The preoiding tend one asoooiats judge
shall aot in moeivfng 5na deporiting tha volta
In the ballot box, ~tnd the other tm judges
Shtil mot in OOU~ting the VOW8 Oe8Q. The pro-
8idiw jud$o shall appoint ioUr oom~stant and
rWlXLtPblWOltBrki# t&O tlarV6paid t!Sir PO11 t5X,
and of dlffarsat polltio&l partiwa, when praotl-
oabla; two & Brtfd OliWk8 shall. aaixist in kerp-
in@ go11 liato md the li8t of' guallfiad raters;
upon the poll liat8 they shull write ths m&8
ai14 tmbsr of eaofl voter, und at the tim v0t6e.
7%~ olarkr eAhallbo oanvasoing 01erk8, who shall
Honorable John R. Shook, Page 5
Beep tally lista of toter oountrd and perform
auoh other Qutfes ae the prealding judge may
dlreat. At the oloee of ths canvassing and dur-
Ing.Its progream, the tally clerks ahall oompare
their tally llots and oertlfr oiiioially to
lare ‘extra to the presiding judge-for making re-
turn of the election.* (Emphaaia our&)
:?e cdl. attention to the underroared portion of
atfole 29X38, above, which presorlberr the appointment or
only four eleotion 0ffIoUla In special eleotions In ~1~100
0r the sight orrIoials required in each pxsoimt oontfiiin-
ing 100 eligible voters or more In g e ner l aleo
l tlo noTbr .
fOrthc+omIng eleotion to deternine whether a Junior College
Dlatrlot I6 to be oreated Is unquastlonably a epeolal eleo-
tioll. 9 Ruling Case Law, p. 978, so corpus Jurle p. 56.
It will, therefore, be nroeesary for the oommlmsioners*
oourtto designate a presiding judge and an assistant judge
r0r this e&eoial a1eot1on. It would seam proper to aaleot
thspr rrcm among the tour j&gee previous1 a~pointad r0r
gsnaral eleotions, or to seleot two qusll Fte B person5 not
previously appointed. The stattite in silent as to thfs
queetion. In any event, aa deolared at lf3 Taraa Jurlep~m-
t¶sJlos 34:
*The etatutoe with mferenoe to tha.:mnner.
pr appointing eleotlon officert8 are direotory.
Where they have not been ~aomplIed with, if it be
ahown that. the eleetloa was held at the tlxe and
glaoe provided by’law, that the aleot:on waa iair-
ly oonduoted, and that the vote as cast, oounted
nnd returned, trxpreeesd the will of tile najority
oi the qualifIod voters votI&g at suoh pleoe and
tine, IrreSularItles as to the nanner of appoint-
ing the orricers will not In .ths abeenae OP ex-
press provision ot statute affect the validfty
or the election. n
Eonorable fohn 8. Book, Page 6
Should any or ths eleotion orZlotals appointad
by ths oaumlq6loners' court fail or rsfuee to aot, sub-
stitute offi6iaLalms;l ba 0ppOiBted by ths voters in the
manner provIdeU by +rtIola 3001, 2. C. 9, 1023,
IYe want bo express our app%%olatlon for tha holg-
ful diaoumrioa oi therp questions contained In your letter
0r rs,quest.
Assistant