Case Information

*1 OFFICE OF THR ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TExqg AUSTIN Eono~ble C. W3Nnwn

D&lml~tAttmy

,

snb 2 Q$ Artlale 6, Vmmm’i~ Annotated reapeotlvely provide:

“The raloving ol8rsss of permne 8hall not be 8lloved to vote tn thie Bkfis, to-vitc “Firclt: Perrc%nz~ Mdss twenty-one (21) year6 of ag6,

‘Beoends Idiot8 8nd lun8tic.a.

Bonorabls C. Ulnborn, Page 2

"Third: All paupers supported by any county. “Fourth: All pereionn convicted of any felony, aubjeat to such eraeptlons m the Lvg- islature say make.

"Fifth: All aoldlers, marlne8 and aeamen, employed in the eervlae of the Umy or &ary of the United Statall. Provided t&t thlr restrlo-

tioa ohall not apply to otfla6re or the mt1ona1 Ward of Texas, the WtloMl Ouard Reserve, the Offloers Rsrerve Corps of the United Statea, aor to enllrted men of the mtlonal Ourrd, the ~tion61 and the Orgnllced Reserves of the Guard Rewrve, UnPted Staten, nor to retliwd offloors OS the Uultrd States Army, Bary, mad Wrlne Corps, and retired offlosre of the United Stetes Army, mvy, and nsrina Corps, and retired rarrant officers and retired enlisted men of the United 73tates Army, Eavy, muI Marine Corpr.

“sec. 2. Bvery perroa aubjeat to none of the foregolug dlr~~liflcatlons, who shall lava attalned the age of tventy-one years and vho shall be a aitlten OS the United States and vho in this State one year next ehrll have resided

preceding an eleatloa mud the la& six noathu vlthln the diatrlot or aounty la vhlah such per- son oife~s to vote), ah11 be deemed (L p#llfled provided, that electors llvlug In amy elsatori uaor&anJ.ted county may vat6 at any election pre- cinct la the aounty to vhloh such aounty is at- tached for judlcFa1 purporee~ and provided fur- there, that any voter who is Subject to pp a poll tax under the lava the State of Teue shall have paid said tax before offerlag vote at any election in this State ad hold a receipt that maid poll tax VPI paid before the show1 rirrt "86. "J of February next preaeding suah election. . .

&ticles 198, Vernon’s Annotated Pearl Code, end 2975, Veraon's Annotated Clot1 St(rtutes, respeotlvsly provide:

"Article 198.

Honolrble C. Winborn, r'age taxmm, al- any OAe in "Any oo3leotor em+oy, vho vili'ully fallm or rmfumsm to

trawwibe oorreotly frtnm the orlgiasl poll

tax reoelpt or certlflomte of exmtioa and

lamsrt In thm duplicate retained ln the ool- leotorts office the name mnd other demortp- Won of the oitlten m@red by lav to be

given by him, or who fails to tmworlba oor- reotly from the duplicate kupt in tha oolleeot- or18 0PSlae and iwsrt in the list of qwlL1- fied voters of a pmclaot the name and do-

aoription of the citlaen am montalnmd in uid dupllcLte, or who im8uem a poll tmx reoelpt after the Sirst dry of February Ja any ymw,

bearlag a data prior to the flrmt &y of Fob- rumy, or vho vllfUly fmllm to keep maid or&- ins1 duplicate l eour.1~ looked UJ, vhn Uw

mame arm not being used, prmitm thmm to be mutilated, defaasd, lost or demtroyod, or who ~oam~18, alterm ordmmtro~m tha, mhll

bc&ln~en~ th~h~mkim~Q nor mom

"Art. . . the time the Tax Colleator m&Item up 'At hia limtm of voters am hmzmln provldmd, ho mbsllrt the UIPO tzme onm mmpmrrtmlfmtwmkm up a list of allen poll tmx-payere and mhmll mark at thm top of maid list thm voMm *Alien Pou. !bxpayem,' and muoh list mbmll bm da-

llvoredrtthemmwtimeaudthe~-r and to thm mamie ofrloirlm am bwe&mboW pro- vtisd ior other poll tax lists, OLod the llmtm of queUfled votorm In maid oouaty and in the of said oowty. Buoh oertl- various pnolnats lists of qualified voterm rab lists of fimd allen taxpmymrm l bail.1 be In the follovlng fowl n

. . l .

And thm mamie fom l hmll be used vith roSerena.

to the list of alien tmxpmjerm f’urnlshed the offloiolm ar provided ln this Article."

.I

104 Fionorable A. C. Winborn, PIga

'litb ngsrd to oltlxanmhlp, you vi11 observe that by the wording and provision of Seetlon 2 of Artla tie a altlsen at the time of eleo- 6, mupxu,a pemcm~ho is ed voter, 88mumiag hm meets all other tlon is 8 quallfi~ ?GZhaentm. the alien be bemn

In the f7batm youpremed In &never nmtwllmed mlnme January 31, 1944. It follovo, to your fIrmt qwmtion thmt he lm nov entitled to vote, al- though him to11 tax maelpt, paid before JtumfMY 31, 1944,.

be mtaapm4 .~AUmn”.

In anxver to your second quemtlon, it is our opinion that k list voter8 or 8 poll tmx reeelpt nmde gut pumuant to lav wn be obnged or altered

vsp or by l oIpI) methdl provided by I.w. To bo&%:

would tend to lntroduoe too gremtan element ofunoert5ln- ty sad aulgbt at tlmem &ford too great mu opportunity for trrud mnd inrpomltlon. YOU viu. obwrve tbxt Artiole 198, muprq tier it unlevful to slter poll tax noeiptm and provides a penalty therefor and also for one 'vbo lSSW#S a poll tax receipt after tba firmt dmy of Febm ln v year, bwrlng a date prior to the tint dey of February .

l%rthmrLtIm ouroplnloatbmtthere i*no mtmt- utory euthorimatian to ammad correot the list of Votemw or the nAllen* poll tax moelpt o* issue a 231v “voting reoelpt. We eamver your meamnd question in the negmtlve.

However, be need only oonvme the eleotlan * that he la aov a altioen to vote. A premedmtloa of' h a i xnturalimatloa paperm, or a oertified aop or 4u1 thereof, thffidsvit that he 18 8t the t-0 Of OhOt On a OitisO&bao- lng been~~%turalired, o~anythiag that would ooavlnae the eleotiozi jwQe that him prevloum dimqtlsllfIomtlon ham been mxtoved vi.11 suffioe to pewit voting.

Trwtlng thlm metlmhotorlly anmvers your lnqu.Wy, ve are

Yours vergtmaly