OFFICE OF THE ATIORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Ronorsba*rohn 8. 8hook
Crlmiml’Dt8triot Attom~
Sal Antoao, Taxa8 _
rm8r 8iri
ab8ontoa VOW8
uhloh voting
08 h8~0 b0.a aa0ptOa
otltw ha8 h@rOtOiOra boon followed or
0 p~~8i4hg Orrt0Or in l8Oh g8-eoin0t
on the rot. aa shown by the
the maohinr
o&s, bet-on tha
hours of two and three
o'olook as~poovldod br law. xt i8 our oplnlon that
those rote8 should bo oountad and tabulated a8 the
otatut* ProvMao."
Absentee Voting ia a OOWtty where Voting maOhinO8
ara adopted for use ia oontrolled by Sootion 7 of Artiolm
Honorable Joha R. Shook, Page 3
89978, Revi8ed awl 3tatute8 0r Texae (arremended, Aats
1937, 46th Lee., 3u.d0. S., p. 1933, Ch. 6.9,8 31 AQta
1939, 46th Leg., P. 301, 9 it).'
Thfr statute aqnmm8 the authority oharged with
holding en lleotion, in WmUtfO8 In whloh voting mohiner ale
‘adopt*6 ror U80, to detenlne by proper re8olution and/or
order whothar or not voting meahlnes &all be ured rot the
oa8ting a? 8brentieavote8. It mEa8 in part a8 rOiiOW8:
i6ootloa 9. "Absentee Voting. -- fn OOUllti68
in whloh voting luiOhflr8are adopted ror UOO, the
etathority ohaxged with holding enbleatidn ahall
wlthlm itB bt8OXebiOit aeterldno by proper rewlu-
tion eeQ/or 03tdu:whsther or not voting ~aohin~r
8hfiu be UHd iOr the -8tiw Of abeetee vote8 et
moh eleotlon. . . ."
Ii it i8 determlned that the oaatlng of eb8entee
VOtb8 #ha11 be by the II80 Or VotiIl&~Ohior,8, the tabulation
Or eUOh V&68 i8 001~~O~iOd by the i6kloriUg prOviSiOu8 Oi
the 8t8tut.s
. and if itbe deterplinrdby rruohauthor;
ity t&*vothlg maahine8
-1ng of abrrotee VOtO8
rhall be used for the oast-
at suoh eleotlon, a voting
B~ohine Or~BaOhine8 8h611 be plaoed in the Comty
Clerk's ofrim, li an eleatlon held at the lXpanSO
0r the oauntJ',or ir a primary eleotion, and if a
city or town eleatlon in tha orrio 0r the city or
town 8eoret8ry end ir a sohool distriot or other
eleotion, In a publio plaoe deelgnatod within tho
bounderie Oi 8UOh dirtriot or eleotion, with the
ballot ot the lleotlon thereon as required by law
and thO8e entitled under the law, ahall oest their
vote on ruoh maohlne or luOhiue8 a8 the 0880 may be,
under the 18~8 n6t applloable to abesntse votfngl
lxoept that the maohlne or maohlnea ehell be sealed
et the 0108e or the dW8 voting In the prosenoe or
authorloed watohlrn, Of all pormps interested, if
any, and auoh seal ah811 he brow in the presence ot
suoh authorlzsd mtohere, lr any, tho followin morn-
ing when votisg shall begin by the pernon authorized
by lew and Oherged aa ~tha euthorlty holding such eleo-
Honorable John B. Shook, Peg8 3
tion. when abaantee voting la legally txmoluded
at IIEllaotfon or primary eleotion, auoh rotlag
meohiner ahell be loaLe end aeelad In the mmar
pre8oribed for preolnota, to ba kapt inteot until
7 A.M. at the de of the obotion or prinary eleo-
tion, at whIoh t3ne the mechine or meohiner ahell
be opened and the~vote OaW6886d by the Xleotion
Board holdine euoh eleotion ea provide& by law, and
If a prlmary eleotlon, by the Chairmen and the Ereo-
utile 8ooreter~ of the ISxeoutlveCommittee oi the
pollbloel party holding 89116,urb tha reoultr of 8uoh
ouiva88 rhell be returned by 868llng end bellvertng
MY to the proper euthorlty a8 provlded’by lew and
auoh remlt8 end/or return8 ah@11 be tabulated and
qa~88rad ln th eso memanner lna ~to ( e thwe
ith
r th e
tkbuletion end oenreaaing Of the r8turM t?oP other
rot14 preoinot8; however, Rrorlded that the reault8
of 8UOh 6b86nt88 vote8 ahell not be 8nSouBoed OP
made jiubliountil eftar 7 P.M. 0r the d87 0r the aleo-
tion, or primary eliotion, when auoh reatit8 8h8u ba
asnouaoed and made publlo together +lth tha genaral
remltrrof the elaotlon by proolemetion02 usie 88
pro?ided by law. upon suoh maohtna.~and/orMOhill88
in use ror absantae voting bolng opanad end the v&e
oanvaPaed, the came 8hall be lame&Uately pr8parad end
8et ror voting as provided by law and ah11 be U8ed.
ii neoe88ery, in any voting plpeoinotof raid aleotlon
or prImmy eleotlon, then bafng held. . . .*
U, however, the euthorrityoherged with holding an
aleotion ahall progerlp determine tlmt absentee rotas ah611 be
oeat by a mpar ballot, the Oountlng of auoh vote8 la oontrolled
by the r0ii0ting provlrlooa 0r the 8tetuter
*should the authority oharged with holding en
lleotlon determine by auoh re8olutlon a8 above pro-
vfdad, that absentee votea oaat~et ruoh lleotlon be
paper bellot then end In auoh event the
,"%oxtF charged with iold& auoh eleotion ahah pro-
vide a ballot ror the oacltln&or ebaenteo voter a8
pre8arrfbedsad rovlaed b the mar81 law8 epplloeble
to alectIone9euB to abaentee vo& lug and those entitled
under tho law ahell cast their vote by auoh ballot under
the laws appllcebls to absentee votillpt,govIdIn8, how-
Honomble W&n R. iihook,m$e 4
ever, that on the Bay 0r suoh oleotlon ax&Qin the
pfe8enormoi the eleatlon otfloerr one of the judge8
Of lleOtlOn8hall, betwoanthe hours or E p.m. and
b p.m. open the carrier envelope only a8 provided
br the law8 lpplioeble to abaoatee votiag, macipnce
aeoh end every one oi the @lootera* name8 and oampare
the 8%@SatUra upon the lpplloation with the $natre
upon the 6?tldavlt on the ballot envelope.
the llrotioa judge8 @ad the errldav~ta dul7 lx8outed,
that the lpplloent Is a duly qU8lifiOd llb o to or
r the
pr@Oinot and that he h68 not voted in parwn et ,#a%d
tiaotion, they 8ha11 open the envelope wntai.nlng the
lleotor*8 ballot In 8uoh manner es not to deieee or
drlrtroy the erridavit thereon, take out the ballot
thereia oontainsd in the preaeaoe of the watohare, it
8ny, aithout parnittlng mime to be unfo d8d or l8min-
mob lb8ent~o ballot ah611 theraup b bo lndmaed
g*tlke preridlqg orrioer or 8uoh votiry'~prioinot in
auah lleotion end depo8ited In en ‘Abaaattie Ballot Box*,
juovid~ r0r auoh purpose and the am* 0r e8oh alaotor
Voting 8Wh ab8OdOO ballot shall be en%ered in t km poll
list and numbered th8 8-6 a8 it ha had been prewnt
and voted in person a8 8uoh 6baontea ballot8 are de-
poalted in tieidabsentee ballot box. Artor all suoh ob-
#onto@ ballot8 have bean depoaltrd in ruoh ebauntee
ballot box, the orriaer8 or auoh oleotlon 8h8l.lde8ig-
net@ 8uoh of their number 88 will not Interfere wkth
tho oninterrupted u8e or voting maohim by the voter8
during 8ald eleotlon, to thereupon imunedIat@lyprooar@
to opon 8UOh abaantee ballot box, oount and/or tally
luoh ab8mlteo ballote, and return the 0enve8a therroi
together with tha oenvaaa and returns of the voter
oaat on voting maohiaea~.andon tho lorma 68 ~ovlded
by law. suoh tally end/or oount of auoh aboeuta@ ballot8
shall be oompleted land be aval&bla for the makin@ of
:;;~~mettha time or the oloaIn$ of the polls at auoh
. . . .*
??aoonatrue your letter a8 eoaklng the oplnlon of thi8
~pertmant upon the .0poirl0 que8tion.or whethereb8entee vote8
imsrbe lndioeted on a voting nurohlne wbm absentee ootiEg by
pepor ballot has been properly authorized.
In 8UOh situation the statute dOa uot, In our op%n-
Ion, authorize the uee ot voting maohIlw8.
.
Eonarable John R. Bhook, Page b
xt is 0 ve6 that the e tatute proiidm, after the
abmntee vote8 ha ooa Qepoeited in an vabaentee ballot box*,
that *the offlosrs o? suoh bleation ahall deiegmte euoh of
their nwaber as 1111 not interfere wlth,tho uninterrupted use
or voting maohiner by the ootere during baia lleotion, to
thereupon,lsmediatoly iPm%M to open euoh abmntee ballot
bm. oount and/or tally auah absentee vote& and return the
aanvaee therea? together w%th the eanvaee a&d retura of the
votem oast on .votlng,maohlnes and on the fanam es protlded by
6 h t lly and/or ocun~3,of luoh abeentee b 11 t hall
6?ioanp&mlaand~ be evailable lor’the making of rtt.dni~ Xt tlm
time or the olosfhg or the poll8 et such eleotlon.* (mphad~
oura. )
Theeb provlsionrof the atatute contemplate the oouut-
1ng of abwntee votea when east by a paper ballot, eeparata
aad apart rrom the ta~ulatlon. oi the votes oart on voting ma-
chines 011 elootion day, the2 such tabulation shell be prerrented
on iormo a8 provided by law, end that It ohall be evallsble alrd
oompleted at the time or the eloeiug of the poll8 at euoh eleo-
tion.
The statutory’ direction thet *the orriorre or $.Jh
lleotion ahall deeighato euoh or,their number as aill not in-
terrere with the uninterrupted use ot votlng maohiner by.the
voter8 during raid eleotlon* is, it Sr believed, merely a re-
quireuent that the personnel oZ the oriloere holding the &SO-
tloa shall not be reduced to the point of Snterferenoe dth
the .uulnterrupted use or voting maohinea by the votere on the
day of the eleotion.by reason of the absenoe of those engaged
in oounting the absentee votes. lt 16 the personnel or the eleo-
tlon orfloere that shall not be reduosd to suoh point rather
then the uunber of voting neohlnes available to the voters, and
therefore does not lndloate a legislative ~requirement that the
voting naohines are to be used in the tabulation or ebaentee
voter when suoh votes were caet by a paper ballot. .
Aooordingly, you ore reeimotrullp advised that it is
the oplnlon of this De artment that votiog maohinee may not be
used in the oount I%3 0 absentee votes cast by paper ballots is
oountlso where vo $ing machines
p are adopted for u%e, when, PUS-
euant to Seotlon 7 of .%rtlole%997a, as emended, the euthorlty
cherged with holdi~hg,the election has deterrnihedthat absentee
870
Honorablr John R. Shook, Page 6
Totem at auoh lleotioa aball,be oaat bJia paper ballot.
The oountlng and oanvaaa thereof aust be separate and apart
rrca mat 0r the votes oast on eleotion day by the ui3eof
the v&&n& maohfnas, and in the mennet provfded for in the
herd&above.
statute rnd tlIae~saa)(I
Your8 very truly
ATTORNBY W3XFiAL OF TiCXAS
APPROVEDOCT 10, 1940
xL---+u~---J
ATTORNEYGENEX3AL
OF TEXAS