January 26, 1939
Honorable T. M. Trlmblo
?lrat Asalstant Stat0
8uperlntandant
Austln,Tsus
Dear Mr. Triable;
opllllonHO. o-ltw
Be: ,Btlokerssttaohsd to
offlola ballot
Your request for an oplnlon has been neslrsd
by ttds orflos.
.P Ws ~uots ?ra rour lettor:
*In tha general sahool board slootlon last
spring in Texarkana a question arosa upon whloh
the sohool board dsalns to hare ldr fo a .An op-
position tlokst for asw Mhool board madora mm8
plaosd in tha rield after the offlola ballot h&d
been olossd, tba board thinks In an lllsgal mnnsr.
Upon the advice oi'attorneys,the board rsfussd to
nprfnt the ballot and to place on it tha samas of
the aandldstea fra tha oppositionparty. The
opposltlonthen printed, m gummed strlpa of paper,
the names of the three oandldstsswhcm it -aa sup-
portlq. The stlokers were offered to the lleotlon
$&488, b utth elleetiCin jUdgM rS$USSb, QD thS
adrlos of oounssl, that suoh stlokers were not a
part of the sleottos supplles legally and regularly
furniahsd by the sahoal board. Tha oppoaltlonthas
plaoeU mn outside OS the polls, who oiforsd sthk-
ore to story rotor earning,tothe polls. Voters wem
speoliloall~lastruoted that thay uast not plaos
the stlskers war the naaas on tpe oiilolal ballot,
the lnstruotloabcdng giiin by.tha workers oak tba
acltsldaof ths polls rho gars out *s stlokers.
Honorable T. Y. Triable, Jaauarr a6, 1939, me E
The rotors were to14 to pasts the stlokors oa the
o??lolal ballot, under the last mm on it, and
then to oross out wlth load pea011 thm asmae o?
all oandldateson the o??lolsl ballot and loera
uaaoratsRh4:tha name on the stlokers. These
iastruotlonsware given in ~stall, both by olr-
oulars prlatsd end 4letrlbuts4,~andbr broadsast,
as well as orally, by those worklag et the polls
la the interest OS tha opposltloaoaa414ate8.
The Sohool Boar4 o? Tsxarkana 4eslres to
know whathor ballots aaat with tha stlokers.
,attaohsdwsre lagal ballots, and whether they
8hould ha- been omntsd by the election o??lslsls?"
Is rspl~ to rour uestloa, It la the opinion o?
this o??iss, that ballots 4 th stio k er
lttqohed,
s as de-
sorlbsd ln ymm latter, were not legal ballots, and sbauld
mt ham bean sat&stadby the lleotlon o??lolal8.
Thls aplnlon Is bssed QIIArticle 2979, lZarlss4
Clvll Btatatss o? Texsa, whlOh rsads aa rollowe:
'I? a acalaes diea or 4oolines hla aaarinatloa
aab the raoaaoy so orated shall have been illled,
and such faota shall hare been 4~1~ aartl?lsd ls
looordaaoewith the provlslons OS this titlo, the
Beoretary of Stats or ocunty Judge,,as the ease may
be, &all promptly aotl?~ the o??lolal boarllareatad
by this law to ?urnl@~ sleotlon suppllas that sush
raoanoy has oocurml 8nd the name'a? the new acrmi-
me shall then be printed upon the o??lolal ballot,
I? the ballots ars not llrea4y printed. f? suoh
declination or death ooours after the ballots are
printed, or due aotloe of the name of the sew acal-
see Is reoelred l?tersuoh printing, the o??lolal
board ahargad with the duty OS iurnlshlngolsotloa
supplies shall prepars as man@ pasters bearing
the name o? the new nalnee as thera lra o??lolal
baUot8, whloh shall ba pasted over the ssas of the
former ncrmlaseon the o??lolal ballot before th
presldlng Judge of the prsolaot indomes his name
on the ballot for i4eat~?ioat~oa. Ao peetar shall
- . ‘,, I
P Honorable T. Y. Tribble, January Z6, 1939, Page 3
be used lx o a p t
a6 herein authorized.and if other-
Wp 0 oounted.
The atlokers used In this ease do not fall wlth-
in the exorptlonsherein l uthorlsad.
Another pertinent Artlole whloh the llaotlon ju4ges
oould have taken advantage of, la Artfole SOO?, whioh reads
88 r0ii0w8:
*At either a general, speolal or pr5.maryeleo-
tlon, any Judge my require a oltlzan to answer under
oath betorr ha ssouras an of?lolal ballot whether he
has been iurnlshedwith any paper or ballot on whloh
Is marked the names of sny one for whaa ha has agreed
or prdsad to rote or for whcm he has been requested
to tote, or has suoh peper or marked ballot in his
possesslcu,and he shall not be furnishedwith an
or?loial ballot until ha has delivered to the Judp
suoh marked ballot on paper, it he has one.”
r Trusting that this answers rour question,ws
ramaia
Yours vary truly
(signed)
Claud C. Boothman
BY
Assistant
COB:GFS
AFFWVED :
(s1%%4 C . Mann
Al%RNgY CGXERbL OF TEXAS
,