Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eionorsbls C D Wr,;,
county Atto&.;
Briaooe County
sirrsfton, *xllr
War Sir8 O&nion Ao. O-6905
l puert for an ty Coamimionerr ha8 l aioner r Pnolnot ror pnoinot, -Zo en rdjoinin~; Or #I nib, IBtill iti thiB : th otir library vfe hare not been able l raot enee reported, rnd w nred to '1. Did thi8 Cornmirrioner WAtolartlOaUy
raaate hi8 orrio, when ho aored hi8 rsmi4 to that ho own6 and
air new looation, on land
rstabllrhed him hone et tlo new looation?
‘,- ’ 480 pago 2 HM.“U. 9. Wrl&, ’
i.“: .“2, can h0 l tu hold orrio 00 o~~uu~oo~o~O~, l nothar prrobot dlrrormt aTan ir ho la llr rrom the on0 ror rh oh he was l laotod? 9
to hold Oiiioe will If he O8MOt oontinue or thO ~0~a0i0nOr0~ t:E; M 00ti0n court'br-
it olrring the 0kri0e taoant, ir he doer not realgm a new l0lu1 OM be rppolnted? before ‘4; Ii ha OOBt~UOO ir, OiiiOO Wixi it fntOlf- ’ sag or the order8 or the Cocmlaalonerrc Gourt,* datg mot1oJl 18, Art1010 5 0r the Conatltutlon prorldoa iollowar T3aoh OrgaAlfted OOUnty iir th# St6tO AOW or hwo- ah&l DO dlrldod iron, tLmr’ t&a,
rite exlot~ rOr th0 OOIWM~OI Of pOOpi tit0 pIWObOt0, iour and aot mora than right, leer !Che than ah&l1 LMko rlrat dlvlalon, present count;t courtr ahall be mado by Subasquusnt dirlaloaa the comia- prOYided ror by thla.conatltutlOll* l lonera* court, IXI esoh auah preoioot then shall be olroted at oaoh blonnlal eleotfon, on. Justloa or the peaor and one ror oonrrtabla, saoh of whom ahall hold hi8 Ofiioe two y’rara and until hia auotvaaor ahall be alrotsd and quelLfled) provided in any preo&aet $a whlah then nay be a olty oi 8000 or taore lnhabitanta, then, ahall rlrotrd two juatloer or thr pram. Eaoh into roux 00pI oounty ahall in like manner br divided alBalOnere* lzeolnota in oaob 02 xhioIi there ahall be @looted by the auallfisd toters thareof one oount who shall bold hS8 ofrioe Ior two &a oOMl88ioner~ ana untilMe l uoooaaox aball be l h gted and pusu~d. Tha oountr ooaalarlonrr8 80 ohoaon, with th t jud60, aa prosfqng orrioer, oh811 00rqp040 :hi%& Comlaalo~era~ Uourt, rhioh ahall rxsroisr l uoh power8 over all oowty bualneaa, end juriadlotion 80 la aon- law0 or th8 state, rarmd by thla Gonatltutlon rind the or an map br hareartrr prarorlbrdrn (Uaderaoorlng ouxa) , Sea. 14, ht. 16 of the Gonitltutlon prorldra no tollowat olvll oiiloerr ahall rrrldr within the Btatrl *All 8iid 011 dlatrlot oounty orrlorra within their dir- and ahall keep their oftlo@@ at trlotr or oountloa, aa my be required 1aWj and bllum uoh glacra to oonply with this oondltion shall VaOEite the OiZloo 00 held," *3 /
\.\
i-ion. C. 3. Wright, pee;* 1 ..:
In rlaw Or the provlalona Or Ut. 5, 300. 18 or tho Con- l tltutlon, thera la no doubt that a county oonaiaaloner above, 1s e county ofrfosr. While thin quaatlon l eame not to have bean passed on by the Courts of our State, lt hae been deoidad the Court0 of meny other Staten. Yae vol. 10, Words end by Phraeae, 96. In the '%ma Or !iElClOnB v,‘lJooro, 104 SO. 432, the supreme court or Alabama hold 0rfi08 or Colliltg Conald- alonsr or a subdlvlalon or Coireo county wee a aouzitp orrloe;. ii? that oaaa show that car80
The raota county wan by law divided into four ootnnilsalonora~ dlatrlcte. Therefore, a oountg oomleslonar being lnoludad in the term *oountp oiiloarss no uasd in Art. 16, Soo. lJ+ or the Conetitutlon, abovo, la ra- qulred to roslda in hia county only and not aaorarerlly the praolnot in whlah he wan l lcotad. Artiolo 2339, Vernon*8 Annotated Civil Statutea, provide8
aa rollowat
vaoh oounty ahell br dlvldod into rour ooa-
niaelonora preolnote,a,nd otio oonmfaslonar nhall
be elected biemlally ln ssoh preolnot, and aeah comalselonirr ahall hold hle OrSloe ior two years.*
Art. 2341, V. A. C. S., provldea en rOuOWBl
“113 0crm0r racenay in the oPfloa 0r mwds- oountp judge ahell appoint
aloner, ooze ault-
ebla pareon living in the preoinot where auoh
vaoanoy oooura, to nerve a6 oommlsaloner tor euoh
greolnot until the naxt ganaral alaction.*
Art. 2927, V. A. C. S., ~rovldas as follows:
Wo paraon ahall rllglbls to any State, county, piaolnot munlolpel ofiloa in this Steta unlasa ha bo allglbla hold oiiloo under the COnOtltU- BhOu and unlssa he ahall haV* resided tlon of thio state, Sor the porlod or twolvo mnntha and nix ln thle state months In the oounty, preoinot, or munloiplity, in
whloh ha orrera hineelf a a l oendldata, next prsoed- or apeolal lootlon, lug any goneral and ahall have
been an aotuel bona ride ottlzen of aald Oounty, for more then six moather preoinot, or muniolpallty
No Q@r$On ine1lglble ‘to hold OSriCO ahall Over have
hle name placed upon tho ballot et any goners1 Or ohotion, or nt nny primary olaotlon whma
spooial oandidatas bra aoloota6 under primary eleotion 1ewO or thie State! and no auoh ineligible oandldato Ohell aver be voted upor~, nor have voter oouzatad iOr bin, at any auoh ganaral,~rpeoiel, or Qrtiry d~OtiOE." *4 .
xcm. c. D. Yirl$ht, pass 4
ArL'2928, V. A. C. S., provides as tollowfirr: or state, nor any oounty
*r;elthsr the Seoretary judge or thle Skte, nor any other authority authorlead to issue oartiriostes, 85all issue any oertltlcatee or 'eleotlon or appolntnent to any person elected or ap- pointed to any ffloe la this ststs, who Is eligible to hold suoh OS f- lee under the Oonstitutlon of this and undrr the above artiolei and the name oi no
Stab person, under ineligible the Constitution snd I8we OS this Stats, shall bb certified by any party, oommlttes, or any authority authorized to hare the names or oandl- dstes plaoed upon the prlmarg ballots at any prLmary leotion and ths nazm ol n&3 ineliglblc in this state; eanbldate under the Constitution au4 laws of thlr Stats pla064 won 8hd.l the btillot Of any 4onsral or speolal eleotlon any authority wh~ss duty It 18
to place ntuses of candidates upon offlola ballots." Under the above oonatltutlocal provtsione and statutory a county oomaisaloner; after 5s has been duly oleoted or a?polnted, is re;;uired to reside In his oo:mty only rather than in the preoinot in whio5 he was eleatad or agpoistsd. arom this we sre not to bs understood as holding thst a county 001381~a~oxier l.~ whloh he is oleotsd ap- CM mslae OutdIe the pmd.aOt pointed at the the OS his eleotion or appointnent. In the absenoe of oonstitutional and stetutory provisions rquirlng a county oommleslonur to reside In his preolnot, after he has or appointed, we are oonstralned been eleoted to hold that he in his oounty. tcsy melde anywhere
In the ease o? Lhllnger at al VS. tienkin, 29 9. 3. 240, chief Justloe yishsr said1 . .me provieioii 0r constitution ts
".
expmso in deolerlng that oounty orricers shall This pfovirlon
renlde within their cOUitle8.
evidently ueans that the county sentloned is the
county in *ioh tts orrioer was eleotea. Then
roliowa the dsolamtlon, in efreot, the
rc1l.w to SO reside in sal4 oounty ahalL vaoate orrioe. The oonatitutlon 1s express upon i.ia erreat., that ralh-e It deolares, this point. terms wit5 rsrerenoe to rrsl- 00~ply with its bring about a taoanoy the OrriOS. drnae will
u an orgio&r&oves from the bounty,anU estab-
s5 8 a r sidenoe slscwhers, thl8 is a fsot that,
rtason 80f the provision of the oonstitution
guoted. vaaates t5e offioe to whloh he *es eledted
. .I1 (Underscorlnk3
. ’ /
I ‘\
. . Hon.‘C..‘D. Wright, &15e 5 from thr preolnot, Ln
A oount~~comlssloner rho removea rhloh .h6 was 018otSb and ha8 qUallil.ed, intO an adjolnlng preoinot ln the aaoe oounty is not lnaluded in the class of from their oountiss and establish reel.- ;;f;;~;‘:“l~~;h~v~; In vle~ Oi the ab ove l uthoritlea, you am advised that 1s the opinion of this bepartment that ths Commissioner -it did vaoate his oifloe remov- whon you inqulm about, . . ing iron ths CoMmlaslonersl QmslnOt, fm whloh he was eleOte4, into an djolnlng pm¬ in the same county,
From what we have ral4 w8 4rem it unnooossary to anmer your other questions. above satiaraotorlly answers your lnqulrles,
We truat
Your0 very truly, OF TiXAS ATTOLXZY OUL.!lAL