Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Hon. 0. H. Slaughter Comfy Attorney %rtln County Stanton,Texas Dear Sir: We are In re ccent letter re- questingthe opinion o ment touohlngthe sllgibllityOS pabl%o oiiio who will have reel eolnat or2 unlol- pallty In whlo s oandidate,#ix ensraleleotlon, ing the party.~ ed Oh11 Statutesoi Texas, be ellglbleto any ot or municipalotfice ‘unlesshe shall be ellglblo e under the Constitutionof ad unlesshe shall hare resld- State for the period ot twlre sir months in the oounty,pre- unialpallty,in whleh he offers himeelias a oandldate,next precedingany generalor speolalelection,and ahall have been an aotual bona fide citizenof said oounty,preolnot,or munlaipalltyior more than six months. Ko pereon inellglbleto hold otfioe shall ever have his na%8 placed upon the ballot at any general or speolal eleotlon,or at any primaryeleetlonwhere Hon. a. A. Slau&tsr, Page 2 oasdldatssare seleotsdunder primaryelso- tlea laws of this State) and ao such lnellgi- bls oandldateshall ever be voted upon, nor hare totes oountsd for him, at any such gen- eral, speolal,or primary sleotloa.a It Is observedthat the term *generalor sps- olal elsotlonw,only, appears In the first sentenceOS the statute;whereas,thereafterin the statutetouohlng a differentbut relatedmatter appear the terms *any snsralor spsoialeleotlon,E at any primarysleotlon*. femphasisours) Clearly,therefore,the employmentof the term wgsneralor speolal slsotlon.w,pertainingto the sir months rssldenoeand oltlsenshiprsqulrements was not intendedto lnoludeprimary elections. The generalhlsotion is held in llovanber~ sps- olal slsotlonsare held.at suoh times and plsoes as tlx- sd by law. Article2930, Revised Cl~il Statute?,as amended. A *primaryeleotlongts one held by the mem- bers or an organizedpolltloalparty for the purpose oi for suoh party to be voted Sor nominatingthe~tiandldatss at a generalor spsolalsleotlon. Artlols5100,.Rsrlssd Civil Statutes. It has been repeatedlyhsld,bythis department that, under Article2929, supra, aparQ.irWI! other nsosss- ary quallfloatlons, an individual1s s.llglbleto hold a publio ofilosif he has reslded ln, and bestia bona tide sitiasnof, the county,prse%not or muniolpalitysix months prior to the generalsleotionor speolalelections fixed by law. Ths.SupremsCourts& Tsxad ii.the oass sf.Iloy vs. Sohnslder,110 Teer.S69,~2lSSW 279, 221 SW 880, held that the term weleotlonwae wed la the Constitutiondoes not comprehendprimarysleotions. Acoordlngly,you ars advisedthat It Is the opinion of this dspartmnt that Art10182929, supra, in Eon. 0. R. Slau@ter, Page 3 its six months rssldenoeand oitlzsnshlprsqulrsmsnts, refers to the generalsleotioaor speolalelsotloas fir; by law, and doss not refer to party primary eleo- . Yours very truly ATTORHEYC2ZEZAL OF TFXAS