Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

_.. ,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, #alter p.. Rosh