Case Information
*1 Eonoreble San-en HoDonald
County kttorn4y
%l&th CQuntP
Tyler, Texea ODiai4u No. 0-2688 Rii lYle C&nty D4mooratlo Exsoutfre
Dear 3rz
Cormittee may pay aupervlaore of a primary elsotion, appointed under ani by virtue of hrtiol4 3104, Civil Ftatntes of Texae.
Your opinion re-quest of August 27th,addrosaed to Uersli% C. Wnn, Attornay Osnerel of Texas, haa b0en r4i4rrsd to the writer ror oousidoration and reply. You clak wh4thet f4os of muprriser~ oi on eleotiorr ohorsn br the oandldatae should be paid by the oandidates rx the County &4outlv4 &imt~ mitt*0 l We quote the follti~ four psrsgrsphs tram ~o'omr 14tterr
"unA4r Art%414 29U, HovLseQ Oivti Statute mm j&!uan one~fittkof the ~.aandldateo whes8 rmxms ‘bp&tr&i ‘iipciti’~tho orriolal bellot In the el4otion hsld last Saturday agreed upon two sap6rviuors tar In sceordan44 aaoh votlne box in %nith County. with thla egr44mnt, the au~rviaars a4 a4144t4d served 8s 414otion cbffioiala ns per mqu4et in said agr44ment.
'There ere three srtioles of the BevIsed Etetuto providing for the srpolntmnt ot~supc+mia~a of ~sleatlons. The first artiols 2941, provides that the chair-n of the count 4xeoutive oomitt4e x4y, upon request five daya pr f or to any general oleotlon, appoint one supervixm tar each voting preoinot la the oounty. There is no proviaitxa in thet statute dIrecti&; thrtt the candidates shell pay said super- viaore. Thhc eeoond article, to wit, 2942, makes th4 provision that any one-f:fth of the canadatee whoae namea trpp4sr on the otfloial ballot, eto., aray agr463 upon two supervisora. As aiareaafd, it was under this article of the 6l;atutasl ow super- viscro were appointed. There la no provision eafd article of the statutes plaoing the burden of the paying of said supervisor6 upon the one- fifth or more of the oandidatee raquestinp, them.
RThe ttlrd article oi' the statute, to wit, providing for the selection of the super- visors upon the petition of forty or more of the *2 qualified voters of a preoinot OF ward does provide that the ones requesting the appointment of supsr- visors shall stsnd ths expense of said supsrvisora ’ 011 el~sotlon 0rfi04r4. serving
“1 do not iind any 4~48 dealing paymnt of appointad supervisors the oountg ohairmn or supervisors agr4sd upon. It 00ours to m speoIfI4ally proyid4s th,at the on48 r4quostIag the appointment ai supenlsms shall pay for 8wlsl) thst irmsmuoh the lsst srtiole quoted would oertainlg place that burden upon th4 OMS V&O asked ror the appointment of aupervIsoxa.
The rirst two artiolas do not so pruvid4, and It Is my opinln su4h sup4rviaors so appelnt4d under the firat two artl014s quoted should b4 p4Id 48& or th4 funds eubsorlhd by all oendidat4a for elsstlon to d4fray eleotion 4speaa4s.~ . aasute4 ~that th4 aup4rviaors l pgolnbed a4 sleotlcm to prl-
0rriof4is war4 app4intod Uenam Artlcrle 3104, l ppWag msry ekotlons, -teed of Artiolwt 2941, 29&? atN2%2a, R4- ri8d civil Stetuim, 88 rorrmd in y00ur Istiter. xt ia apparent that Artial44 29&l, 2942 and 29&Za apply only to @gal azzd apeelal 4144ti4lia *nd not to p4rty pr%narf,~144-
,, ,n.rt.&ol+, 25?@ ia Sn gua aa foUorst
"!&e 4haIrmn 0r the oaanty exeoutivs (IQ&- thet has oadi- mittae, for aauh pol.itiodl psrty det4a on th4 0frioial bal&t, 0r ir b4 rail.4 t0 est, cay three lnembars or euah oormaitt44, ml, rir0 days him4 not lestt than the getter81 4144- (I’ tion ,*..* Ala4, Art1014 2943, Revlaed OlvIl St4tutes, apply- end speoial elaetions and not party prl- ing o&y to g4n4r81 eli80ti&, reads 3.n pert a8 r0ii4ws; end olerks of g4rmral and apealal Vadgss ol4otIons ahall be paid . . . . by the county #sa- alr 4 r*. l * n
Mow, Title 50, entltlsd Vl4otloa4,'~ ooixtalna Artioles through 3173, inolu4lr4, of Statutes Texas. Chsagtm 13 of +d Title 50, entitled "IWmlnstlons," oontsining &tiole 3100 throu& krtiole 3167, pertsins to party 3100 is r0u09fe: pritaary 4140~1ons. Salt3 Art3414 “‘I%4 term *primary eleotion' as us4d In tbio
ohaptsr, means 4n eleotlon bald the embers 4S an orce;aniz4d~polltiosl party r0r the purpose of atutMiidUt8 of suoh erty to be voted ncmlnati~ speoial eleot f on, or to ri6mLE- for at 4 general of e pertp.** ate the 4ouaty exroutivs offloers *3 p.cm. Warren Me-3ouald, Page 3
Further, Artiole 3104 of said Chepter 13, referring to the eleatlon offloera of a primary elsotlon is aa follow5t
WAll the preoinat primary elsotiorur of % party shall be oonductsd by a prealding judge, to be ap- pointed by a ohairman of the oounty exeautive oocl- titter OS the party, with the %sllIstame and epprovnl Qr at leant n majority of the slembers of the oounty , cxeoutive commIttee. Push presiding judge e&all oelect aa aamoiete jueqe %na two clerks to assist In oonduatln~ the election. TWO supervisors may be ahoaen by sny one-fourth of party candidates, who, with the juagee ena elsrks shell take the oath re- quired of suoh offIoer% In general eleations. !P%o addItIona alsrks m%g be appointed but only when In the opinion of pretlibi?l~ juQe, there will be more than one huudrsd votes ollad at the primary eleotion in the preojnot." P Undersoaring ours)
Thus ArtI 3104 spplyIng 8peoiflcally to 9leotIon offloers In prImerg el%atIaas must govern the eppointment of the auperviame related in yous request.
prooeedlng turther in 86&l ohepter Artiolr 3108, Hevi8ed Civil Statutes of Texas, with refarenoe to the 'a* pensa ef aonduat,Ing 8 prwry eleatloa, contains the follm- , Lner
*'At the rmetI.ng of the aounty executive cm- nittee prorId%d In Artlale 3117, the oounty OCQ- raittee shall ale0 aarefully estlmt8 the ooet ctf printing the offIoIa1 ballota, renting polling plaoea where same may be found neoesnary, prwfd- Ing an8 distributing all necerrsary poll books, blank statlonerp and voting booth5 required, eom- perinetlon sleatlon offlaers~ana 0Lerks and measengera, to report the result In enah $reolnot to the oounty oheIrm%n, 8~ provided ror herein, and 611 other neaeastiry expana%s of holdlag nuoh prImarIes In suoh aountle,e end shall apportion euoh oost among the rarloua oenaIdat%e for nor~Ina- tion ror county and preclnot olYIoem only 88 here- in defined, end offlaea to be filled by the voters of suoh county or preainot only (oandidates for Rate offloes exospted), In auoh manner a8 in their judgment la just and equitable, Bfrlng due oonsideration to the importfmoe and omolumenta eaah such offlae for *hIoh a nomlnetlon is to be made and shell by resolution, direct the ohelrppsn to IMedIately mail to eeoh person whose n%me has bean requested to be plsoed on the offIoIa1 bellot a statement of the mount of. augh exponser~ SO eppor- tioned him, request that he pay t'ha aeme to the oounty chslrman on or before the Eatur- day before the rourth~uonday in June thereeftor." Hon. Warren MoOon%ld, Pag% 4 !&he suthority 0s the oounty e%eoutioe 0ommSttee is lj.mlteU by the statute8 oontetmd in 8OId Cheptsr 13. quote th% r0ii0wfng leaguaga rrm the 0880 or sctltiraen ~8. Pe*%r, ‘SW 2nd I.0748 mcuwy wh%n oolleoted *‘lhe m and pLaeed
hands of th% eppeU.ents (the odttee) botmme a txqet runu,.epd omlA an4 be dlebtwa%d snd &mid out a8 prorId%d statutes it ooulQ not aertsStiAg be ep%nt by the ohelrmm oi the executive %omItt%%, these eppellnnte (the oonmltt%%i, for 6elarioe and servloeo performed by iA% ohalrmn, nor oould lt be spent far uawoesearg oxpens68, but smet be spent for t&s purposes intended statute, snd prcfvleIoue under tha athutee authcaiai9g suoh expenUItaree.w (P%renth%ele ours)
Honey aollsoted u@sr th4 provisione 0s &Marl* 3108 to defray the expense% ai the various oendidetee ie nem$netlon oanaot be epoat by the oooalttee aor the oh8irma of the aotittea for itsme not rdthln the purview %f eei& Article 3108. smell te. ~?arksr, u9 sw’2nd 609.
CI amount to iqe rind no epe4Srio prwbion to be peid su~l7iS4W8 jQ@VJ# Or OlCJrk8 in a pdBl8l’~ d.88tie.
There 01 the prml8ba se th0 p0jmnt 0s fudge8 a+a oi0rkO fn gpmaraL. .aad ,apadal ~1eeMoarr oontabwd ia ~ArtSalo 2943, abme, euperrisore %ppaInted and e%rv g la gemmel, ep%e %l OS pertr Rmwer, th%n 18 ant gimses" for. the pylaaat 4f prlmag oleotio~. We have no doubt but that the two euper- vieore prwlded fm under drtiolo 3.104 la party prlrrery elm- tlons am oleotion ortio%re, en8 that tha oounty %xeoutlv% oormlttoo he8 the authorlt~ to pay the ocmpewatfon of ebo- tlon offloors expense 4s the prlmnr~ oleotion under said Artlalo 3108. It I8 tmr apinitm that the o~neation of two supertiaor6 &aeon by mm4ourtJi of the pnrty oaadidatee $a a prtiarg eleotlan ehould be paid by the emoutiro aomi.tt%% mad not tho p%rty candidates uhoodnff the two errpervleore.
Also, the mooat or oaupens%ticm due mild ~parvloora not b%- Ing govermd by statute 1% dleoretlonery *rith the exooutive oonmItt%% as Is the mmunt be paid juag%% end olerks ab a prlnmry 0~eotIon.
Belle*Ing thla to answer your Inquiry; wo ar% Yours wry truly ATTCRtTXY@ENZRALOFTEXAS ~~o~~~~*1940 By /a/ Pat soon
Asalertsat A7YYm3Er OkAL
PCAStjrb APPROmD OPmxOIo cmmmTRE
J3Y BVB, Chelraran
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