_..
,921
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
Honorable k!.0. Flowerr
Seoret8ry of Stata
Austin, Taxer
Dear Sll-1 Attentionr
8194 -
atian or cl. 3088,
w
iv11 stml 06, 1986,
to tabulationo? llee-
111~ by tb Soaratary
or your let&or of
June ll,lWO, r thlr eepmrt?aent
lIJto the pro eetlon r*turn8 in
18 8088, Revised
State, in pra rem* of
tha
ruy General, or either or
nday in l0temb.x next dtu
opan all the eleotion return*
and .oormatly add up au the
e revere1 o~untlee fog eaoh of
ore, and Emmy the re8tM thoseof,
amee of theme aleoted, to bo publfehed
in lme nerrpapar printed at Aurrtin,
and &all imuo oertiflaatesof eleotlon to the
persons bo eleoted.*
you point
In this ecrrmeation out tb6tr
911~ tam8 notice8 tbt thors are only
three Motday* in ~1Jorember
afkr 6be genera1
elaotlo~ on November 8. The ioqth MoM@Y in
92:
.Hon~or&bleII. C. Flowers, Page 2
Kovambar la November ES and the fourth &?on&8y
8fter the general ele0tlon is December 2. Fe
feel that in 811 probebilitp the leglsletwa
intended thfs dsta to be the fourth Sonday iA
Norember, howaver, the ewkerd poeition or the
word8 arastes oo~s1derrabl.a aoniusioA.~
Artioles 2930, 3079 and 3086, Vernon'8 Annotated
Clrll. Statutes, read aa follows:
"Art. 2930. A general eleatlon shall be held
on the tire Tuuseday erter the rfrat xond.2~fn
Nov(IIpber, A.D. 1926, end avery two yams thereafter,
at such p16aee 88 JIMXY be proeorl~asd by Law, arbr
notioe 80 prescribed bg Law. Speoltl elections
ebsll be held et suah times ud plaoea ea my
be rlrtd b!f Law providing thtreror. In all eltt-
tlons, gamrel, eptolel, or primary, the polla
ehall be open from aeven o'aloak k&Y. to seven
o'oloak P.M. in all aountlee fvrrlng a population
of 150,000 or more eaaordlng tc tha last Federal
otneua ar.d in 811 other oountlee the polle 8hal.l
be opened at 8 A.M. and almll rtaaln open until
7 P.M. The tleotlbn ahall bt held for one day
only."
"Art. 3079. On the TUaed8y after the rlret
Monday in Norembar, A.D. 1932, end on the Tuteday
~8x3 erter the first ?&mAey in kYoreaber, every lour
ytart theretdttr, or et auoli other tlmes,:ae the
Congreta or tha Unit04 Jtetae nay dirtat, there
shall be tleated by tba voter8 of :the 3x&4; 81
many alsatars for Prt8168nt and Vice-Freaih@t at
t&a United States aa tha Sate of Terse may et that
tfme be entitled to elect, no one or whom shell
bt a person holding the offiae of Zemtcw or Btg-
resentativt in COngreea, or enp orriot Or true) or
profit under the Unit4 States.'4
*Art. 3086. &I electfan for the eleotlon OS
s Zenator rr08 Texea to the Congress or tha United
States shell be held on the flrst Tuesday aitar~
tha rirst Monday in Morembar of every year lmmedlate-
ly pr,roedlng the fourth day or M8reh WhtA the tePm
0r tnp uAited mister, %nrtor iron tbs 3tete or Paam
to thr Corrgrese or tba United Statea 18 to explra+ .
At suoh tle6tion no pt%wOA ahall be @411fiO,Q ta
rote r0r eny oandidattror UnitsedStetto SenetoP
Banorfibla Z. C. Ploware, Zags 3
u~lese he is a quo1 Ii10 d elector in any election
held to elect mtstbers of the most numerout brenoh
or the Legielature of thl8 Etato.*’
In construing 8 statute the contideret:on of prI-
mery laiportenoe is the intention of the Leglsleture. KOP
V8. Sobwider, 110 Tex. 369, 218 S.?:. 479, rehearing denied,
221 3.X. 880; Sarnte vs. Stats, 75 Tex. Grim. Rep. 10~8,
170 3.F. 548, L.R.A. 19150, 101. The Lengueca employed
by tht Legislature must not :ie overlooked. It 18 presumed
to have betA selected with dtllberetlon. Faith VII. Ttree
Company (Corn. kpp.) 53 9.K. (2d) 774.
Applying theta principle 8, lt la clear that the
Lagleleturt intended that the rieorttery of State perform
the duties ttt forth in Hrt. 3003 in the month of November.
The statute provides thet be shell non tha rourth Monday
in Hov.ember next arts- meld eleotloa” proceed to tebulete
the return*. It it also clear from Articles 2930, 3079 cad
3086 thet the general election will always fell on the first
Tuesday ertar tke first Eonday In November. If Article 3089
be construed to mean that four bCondeys must alepee arter the
elaotlon bsrora the Secretary or %ete ehell tebulete the
returnt then that orricer aen never act In the month 0r Nor-
amber es Article 3083 dlraots. It follows that tha phreee
non the rourth Zlonday In Eovember next miter said tleotlon*
mmne the same me if the &gleleture had said *the fourth
k&n&myin Uovamber next euaoeeding the date .or said eleo-
tiOA' or “the fourth Eonday in November in the year of meld
general tlaatlon*.
It 1s therefore the opinion or thle depertmant
end you are reepeotfully edvlrrta tbt Novtmbar 28. 1940,
la t&e proper date for the Seorttery of Met8 to ~ebuletk
tbt tleotlon returns In eocordenca with the provlslone oi
Artio1t 3003, Vernon’s Annotated Clvll Statutes.
Yours very truly
ATTO~Y GEIERALOF TXAS
BY57f&tJR4a,
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