Case Information

*1 OFFICE OF THE.AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS -. AUSTIN

-cIucm -- .

Ronorable Robert F. (Iherry

county AttmIlt'y

maque county NericUan, Texas

D6ar 81,: OPFnien No. &2&J Rer Hsy.the aommterionora~..oou~t in

ordering-a loaal option. eLiotion for or ~st'$ho m8le OC be+- to be \. ‘x " \, \

"Questlcb No. L. * May the Coxmla(lionor~~

'~.O&t, Sri ordsring a 10081~ option rlsation for or

against the sala of beer, to bo hbld at the mama tlao m4 plsoe as the demoontla primuy~eleotti, legally appobt, aa judges nuoh eleotion, ths tam jud@m as those appointed by the aounty demo- oretlo oommlttee to.hold the. demoaratio pr3.mx-y eleatfon?~

"Question No. Ot 'If the Uwwissiomrs' Court doss rrppolnt rwh jUag6. and 90 otbra and the loaal option elwmon f.0 hrld at the mm8 t&m and pleae 011 the demoratla prlmbry eleatloa, and under the of+ auah jwQear would the aupervlaioa and dlreotion looal option d.6OtiOA bs tbl'ebg lnvalldntod'l' *2 Honorable Robert 0. Cherry, Page 2

i “The f’aats an these: ’ In obedlonoe to the petltlon recequimd by law for such 10~1 option eleotlon, the Comm%ssloImr8'.Court of Boaque County ha8 o*ered a oounty-wide looal option eleation to determine whether or not the sale of twdr, oo~talning not mm4 than four per cent alaohol by w-t, shall ba legal in Bo8que County, Tess. IA order to save expeA8e, the 414otiOn h4u be4A qmlered to be held on July 27th, the date of the demoratio prliiwy elso- at the memo polling plaaas &a that of the tion, dmuo~ratlo priwry, and,tht~ order for elaotion as judges abAd loczrl option @lea- designeta tlon thd saw judges LII those appointed by oomty dmoorrtfo o@maitteo to hold the demoore- tia ,prlmary 0~ that date. IA eroh o&e, only one judge ha born-appointed for--oh polling plaue,andineaohosse the on8 judgeappointed is th4 aams for th4 looal~option leation aa th4 d4mocratio paaanry,

"The Isw rei&es (Art. 666-33, v.A.o.s.) that the eleOtion b# held AOt bS8 than teA nor am4 than twenty day4 from the dat4 of the order for sold elaotlon. This be- the 12th of July, and the eleotlan haYAng bWA ordered for the 27th of' July, it would be neoessaryfor WY to have your oplnionnotlat4mthanthe16th ofJtigiftha eleation order is to be aaendod to ooxUorm wLth . your opinion and still permit the holding at the eleotlon on July 27th. I don*t.knov lf It will be possible to get the O@liOA SO quiokly, but, ii 80, me shall appreoiate it.

?ho County Attorney's brief on these question8 is au r0iiow8:

'tit. 666-32 0r V.A.C.S. of the State or Tens provides for the holding of looql option election to dstemlno whether alp not the sale of' liquors shall be prohibited or 1tiLegalsZod.

"Art. 666-33 of v.A.0.s. of tb State of Tem8 provide8 that the Oormi88iOzlbrf1' COUPt Sfaall in it8 *3 Honorable Robert Chomy, Page 3

order state the date upon vtrioh*the eleotion is to be held, the objeot Of Such eleation 'aAd ShCd1 bo held to be prim faole eVIdenoo that all the provl- 81onS XSoOSSorJ t0 $iVb it Wlidity OF t0 OlOthe theaaourt with jurIsdlot1on to malce It mild, ham been duly oomplled,wIth, provided that said court 8hsll app&t suoh offlc6rs to hold awh elections aa how re@.nd to hold general elections. Acta 1935, 43th Leg., nyl C.S., p. 1795, oh. 467, Art.

1, sea. 33.' AAAotatod 01~11 StrtUtOS, “7hPXl~‘S Vol. 9, 50, oh. 3, Set8 out the qUBliiIOatIoZL8 Title Of 0r eloatloa md the Mnner of their appclht- orMosr8 WAt. Art. 2937, sold title upd oharpter, prOVido8, in Pa&,, 98 f01l~~Sr 'T&O Commloslo~~s~ OOUrt at the February term ahall appoint from aai0Ag the cltl- zonn of eaoh votIAg preoinot in whioh there are leas than 100 voters who have pa&d-their poll tax, or reoelved their oertiflaates of exemption, two reputa- bB'& qual1fIod votms as judges of the OleatIoA, ##leoted froa dlffeWAt polItlcal ~Z'tiOS, if practicable, to set until tholr suace~soP5 are appointed.... One of vh0 shall in An oa8Oe belong to the party jUdQ38, that at the last general slootion cast the 1ar;rgsat vote for governor throughout the ate, shall be desigmtod as the preeslblng judge at the oleotlon.,.. The pre- Siding judgs Sha11 0Ot ti l%OOiVbg md dqD8lt-l~ thb vote8 In the ballot boxes, and the Other, judge aot IA CoUnelAg the votes aasb....' Aota lat C.S. 1905, 91 533, *m. 57.

AAPt. 2938 Or Said tltb3 rad chapter 18 iA part an followrr *For every preolnot IA whIoh thore are 100 altlcohll more who have pUd thedr poll tax, or reoelved thelr~ CertIfICatH of exemption, the Com- ~Ss;omrst gOUPt Shall aP@.At fOUr j-8 Of dbotiOA I&O Oh011 b@'OhoSOA, irheA praatlaable, from OX@OSing pelltloal parties, ore of wh0111 shall be d&sigsated as presiding judge. ThO gMS1ding jU&O ulb oXl8 888W1atO jud@ shall act in receIv1Ag 8nd depositing the votea _ $.A the ballot bOXe8, AAd the Other tW0 jUd.@S Shrl1 act in 00uating the votes osse~...provIdi~g that in all oleotlow held uAd4W the prOV1810A0 Of th.iS title other than gensral eleatlons, local option eleCtIoAe# *4 Bonorablo Robert Qherry, Page 8

and prlmmy eleoticum~ the o&em to be appointed by th0 0O~d88fO~~8’ t0 hold aaid 8lcrtianS GOlEt Shrl1 b0 a 9HbSidlrrg jUd&B asd u1 MSOOiate lX&O md two olerka, whwe 00ngmmation *ball be s 2.00 per day and $2.00 extr8 to the ~presfding judge

56hag return 0s the ei00ti028.~

"The order for the loml 0ptIon ebOtfOA IA Bpaow Countyapposnfss ore wid onlyoqa judge for 6&h OleatfOA PZWCrIAOt, this jW&e being the SalM a8 that appointed by the demooratia oommittoe as judge of the dewoa%tlc prfmary election to be held OA th8 #Be &ay.ubl ati t&e 81LIDb 9l8Ce. Raoh Of these judges h8 a ddmarat, and BILoh 0s them se, I bellevo without exooptisn, psclnot qhairnrn 0s the demo- mat10 oounty organistrtlon.

"liIn#ton*s Simpllfle~DlctIo~ary defined the word Qwaotlaable~ as uSed in AFta. 2937 and 2938, ifutguf above, as follov8 t ‘Capable of being done or .i’, “There UT0 quUIfIed voters In &SQW CouAty who belong to other pwtlos thaA the d.eaKmretIcr pnrtg, the appoIntraent of judges rron the demoore- thoreme tl0 pstiy l lOAe does hot wet the requlremnt for the ppolAtmeAt Of SWh orriasrs 68 aov nqulred~to hold general sleatloa. ht. 666.33, quoted abOOa, l’OQUil’O8 appointment or rnab offIaara to hold suah sleatlon !;~;o;ptIoA eleotlon) a8 now ruqulnd to hold general

. **ho order for the looal optlon eleatloa appoints onoand OAlJOAO judge foreAOhVot3sgpreolnotin Basque, Qounty. &t. 2937, quoted above, roquIre8 that in *ma11 preoinots (Having less than 100 voter8 thm-8 &aliW appointed by th# ConmI8aIowr8~ Court i no to hold eleCtfCll. The U'tiale Sets Out SpeCi- ' jUdf3i98 fla duty e&ah 0s the tvo jUdgS8. Art. 29'38, quoted above, provides that for large prtW.tmta (having more than 100 VOtOl'S) t&O OOWli88iOMI'8' COUl't Shsl1 Sp- point four judga18 to hold eleotlon. Swh aPtIale pro- ' Vi&S S~CffiO duties 102' e4Wh Of said fOUr jUd43~8 and provides further th8t IA &ll eleOtI0~ held under the provisions 0s thi8 title other than general eleotiona, *5 tonorabl.4 Robert Chewy, Page 5

L

looal opt#loA ol.4ctionu land primaIy4l4otlons, the

orricers to b4 appolntsd by the C0xais8i0n4rs~ court to hold said election &all be a pmsi4ine judge,

an assistant judge and tvo olorks.

“BOSQW COwty has both4mmllpraclncts and large preolncts. Th4 appolnlznerxt of one election judge eaoh votQq pcaoinot doe8 AOt therefom oomply with With p~OViSiOJl6 Of h't8, 2937 and 2938 QS to the Op.

pcln+mnt Of ofrlcera regitired to hold general elec- tloA8.

"Art. 666-33, prOVIdlng for such local option el4otlon an that order4d r0r Bcsque County, requires that the aourtshallappoint awhofficem tohold

such elections as 000~ requimd to hold general slec- t10nzl. " P

We quote Finn Texas JurZtsprudenoe, Vol. 16, page 34, .S fO1&USJ

"Th4 statut48 make -3.4 provlrion for the ap- pointment 0s offlaero to diroot and assist In the

condwt 0s an 4i00ti0n. Irregularities in their appointment do not render an oleotfon void. The law IA thin nape& ha8 been S\nmparited a8 follovs: The vith t'4fOrOllCo t0 the mann4r Or SppOlAt~ StatUt.88 4kSOtiOA OffiC4FS bbF4 diXWOtOrg. whe1?4 th4j ha~4 nOt

bean oonplled vlth If it be shown that the election' vao hsldatthet~Pnd9'lrrcs9rovldedbylow, that the 014cctian uaa ralrlg mndwted, and that the vote a8 mat, counted and returned, 0xpr~s68d the will of aPjorlty of the qua.lHiad VOtera Votfng at swh place and tins, lrregularitles as to tho manner of p- pointing the ofr~oors will not in the abrrenc4 of ex- pr~r&yIslon or Irtatuto arr8ot the vali5.tty 0s In such 0~4, if there is no protest 0n the votor8# they will be hbld to hSV0 ratified

part Of ihe tha, 1110~1 appolntmmt of the eleotlon judges or

their unauthorleod asrrumptlon of authority wh4re they ham aoted ulthout beln$ appointed by anyone.” Hill VI.

Sn&thvllle Independent School Mstrlot, 239 SW 98j’# (sfflrmd Oonm. of App.) Xunicutt vs. 253. SW 209 123U 1061 Beaver va. State, state, 44 SW 8311 Bell vs. FmLUmsr, -19 SW by98,

A.L.R. 1535.

Honorable Robert F. ,Cherrg, Page 6

Artiole 666-33, Vernonts Ann?tated Penal Code, provides that local option election shall be held not less than ten nor more than~tventy daya from the date of the order for aaid eleotlon. said ststute further requires that the oourt sballappoint swh offloers to hold such eleo- tlon as now required to hold general elections.

As above ateted, the statute8 with reference to the mmner of appoInt2ng election offiloers are dlreotory.

Where such etatutes have not been oomplIed with, If It be ahovn that the election vas held at the time 8nd place pro- vided by lav, and that the eleotlon vcla"MrLr oonduoted, eta., an Irregularity a8 to the manner of eppolntiag the offloers vi11 not in the 'abrrenoe of exprese provIsion of the statutes affett the, validity of the eleotion. Hovever, ve are of the opinion that Artlo&e 666-33, supra, is an ex- press provision of tke stitutes requiring the 0omIssionere~ court to appoint orfioers to hold local option eleotiona a8 c, nov required to hold general eleotions and In appointlng~

or attenrptlng to appoint the eleotlon offioials delrlgnated to hold prlmry elections vould not be In oomplIanoe vIth the express provisions of the above mentioned statute.

In view of the foregoIng, you are reapeotfully ad- vided that lt ie the opinion of this department that the oom- mlsslonera~ court does not have the legal authority to rp- pat as judges of loa&optlon election the sanm judge8 aa those appointed by the county Democratic Committee to hold the Dcmooratlo Primary eleotlon. In the event the sa11y) elec- tion JuQes, eto. holu primary election vere to hold the local option election at the same time, there would be no saving of eppense~, the county must pay the expenaea of ho1dIng the ~local option eleotlon, and candidates, through the county ohaimvm pa the eX@mes of the Primary electIon and the county oould no g legally avoid the payment of the expenses of holding the local option election by attempting to &&-the eleot&n offlolrls of the prlmery eleotion to hold the local option eleotion along with the -primary election, the expenses of auoh, being paid by the candidates In the primary election.

We cannot oategorloally ansver your eecond queatloni- hovever, to avoid any eleotion contest, vhloh would probably r&se the question aa to thd'validlty of the local option elec- *7 Bonoreble Robert Cherrg,.,,:Page .~

tion vhere the election offlolala'of the primary election also hold the loo61 option eleotlon, ve th.%nk:‘it advisable that the i i, oomlselonere~ oour$ should appoint different election offlolala

to hold the local option sleotlon other then the election orfl- 0161s appointed by the Demooratio Qximlttee to hold said prl- w .~ .I mary eleotlon.

Ve Rant to the& you for the brief submltted vlth ” your inquiry vhloh bsa been very helpful in passing upon your

qw8tloM.

TruetinS that we bave Mlyansveredyour %nqulry, ve are

Very truly yours JU’TCRREYOERRRALOFTFXA~ &dell Williams Assls tent AWsAW