Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable Roland isoyd County Attornry Collln county ldcEinnoy , Tsraa Dear ;ilrr Proa your ltttbr the following I e Cellna fnde- thuir annual not a candidate unning walnut thrsc for ra-election. Ire to those three at be ranted to be day before the man who Star (Istatement hrs made that apt was a rlolatlon of the law, ad received the ~bsne destroyed it. 'ilots article 242 of the Fens1 Code apply to t&i8 aet 0r Sects or was it only intended to cover t.aklnC suoh a paper to the polls9' . . ." lartlcle 242, Penal Code readr a8 tollowm: “~n;r judgo map rec,uire a citlaen to anmcr under oath berore he secures an official ballot 2 c Honorable Roland Boy&, Fege 8 whethar he has been turniahad with any paper or ballot on whioh la marked the r&mea o? say one for whom ho has agrord to vote, or ?or whom he has beoa requsatad to tote, or has luoh paper or markrd ballot In his possession, and he shall not be furnlahed with an O??iOlal ballot until he has deJ.irarred to the judga aueh narked ptrper or bellot, if he has one. Any person uho elves, receives or leo ur e8 o r is interested ia g iving or raoririag aa o??iolrl ballot or any paper vrhatarer, on *ioh is mrked, prlntad or written the ncma o? any per- eon for whom he has agreed to vote, or ror whom he has beon rcpueated to vote, or has auoh paper marked, mitta& or prlntsd in 01s posaes~lon QS a guide by @ioh he could mike out his tlokat, ahrll be tlaed not leas than one hundred aor Icore than Site hundred dollars, and be confined in Jail thirty dep. Sea. 70, p. 636, Acta 1905.w We t&ink it obtioua that the above statute use not rlolated under the stats or raata you submit. St is apparent to u8 that the reatrlotlon imp~a~~yea only to the use oi dummy ballots or paperr et the Any other conatructlon would be riolatite o? the Const r tutiin o? Texas, irrtlols 1, Ssotloa 8, reading In port a8 follows8 “Brery person 8hall ba at liberty to speak; wrIta or publish his opinions on any subject, be- Lag reapoasible for the abuaa o? that riYllege~ aad no law lhhll ever be passed ourtsi Ping the liberty or rpeeoh or or the prear* . , .” Trusting the above aatlsiaotorlly aasnerr your ln- qulry, wa are Tours very truly Aenistant Bwmp t%!! l : g g1 0