Case Information
*1 Honorable lhomss i. Bleaton, Jr.
CouatyAttorney
Shsokelford County
dltaay, l!e%as Opinion No. O-2114
imar Zirr Rex Pow of ballot in lo& option eleation.
Your lotter'of &roh 21, 1940, requesting au opinion of this departnent on the questitis ss are herein stated has beea received.
Your letter reads in part as follows:
"The present status of the liquor situation in Shsakelford County is as follows :
"In Justioe Preoiaot'No. Oae, it is lawful to sell malt and viaous beverages that do aot oontain aloohol ia exoess of 14 per oeat) "In Justice Preeinot Ho. Tso, it is lawful to sell all alcoholio be-w-ages;
'Ia Justiae Precia6t Ro. Three, it is'lsvful to sell @er thst does not oontaia aloohol in exoess of 4 per contt
"In Justioe'Prebinot Ros. ~l%ur sad Pive, 5.t is uulawful to sell say kind of iatoxioatirg liquor.
"Petitions ire n6w being 6irouloted requesting the Cozcnissioners O&art to'order-s oorinfy-wide loos]. aptibn eleotion to vote upon the follow- ing issues only:
"For prohibiting the sale of all alooholio beverages' sad "'Against prohibitiag~ the sale of all alcoholic beverages.' "It 16 my opiaica that under the local option election law, as provided in Article 668, Geatioa 32 et seq., this is a proper issue to~be pre- sented in case.it is desired to prohibit the sale of all forms of aloo- holio beverages. "Questions: (1) In-order ~to-~pr+iMt the-sale of sll~iato~i&its~ia _ .
Shsokenford Couaty, is tlXsbovS the.-propoer issue to suhnilh%ader _. .- .., - the laV? -(2)--C& a-lo6al‘option~'election be held in siiy'of the Justioe'Prei&iiicE ~ffd~~ed-.sab~~~~e~t-to--~We-'h~~~~~~de-~leot~on-to ohsnge the status within one year from ~the date of the oouaty-wide election?"
Article 656-49, 'Jeraos '8 Smotated ;%t'nnl Code, sets out ia detail the several 'ballots 3y which ?ocal opt.:oa electioas ay be held x-hero various types of liquor nay ~b-c voted on, the first three brr?lots to legaliro, the second three tc prohibit the sale of liquor, as foilowsr
"Sec. 40. The ComissForiers' Court upon its ovm motioa my, or upon petition as herein provided shall, as provided in :ection 32, Artiole I, order local'optioti elections for the purposs~of'detetin~ing ahether alooholio beverages of the various types and alcoholic. coutents heroin provided shall bs lsgalised or prohibited. "Ia areas where any type or classification of alaoholio bevsr-
ages is prohibited and the issue or issues subnitted pertain to lcgal- isation of the sale of one or more such prohibited types or olassifioa- tions, one or nom of the following is8llcS shall be sufmitixd:
"(a) 'For legalicing the sale of beer that doe8 not contain al- cohol in excess of four (4$j per oentum by weight' sad 'Against legal- itiag the sale of beer that does not contaia alcohol ia excess of four (4$) per centum by weight.'
"(b). 'For legalicing6the sale of malt and v-iaous beverages that do not contain alcohol' in exoeas of fourteea (14%) percentum by volume and 'Against legaliaing the-sale of malt and~~vini%iS beverages that do not oontein alcohol la exoess fourteea (l&) per centum by volume.~
s(o). 'For legalizing the sale of all alcchol:a beverages' and 'Against legalizing the sale of all alcoholic beverages.*
"In areas where the sale of sll alocnolic beverages has been le- galized, one or more of the following issues shall be suhaitted la any prohibitory eleotionr
"cd). 'For prohibiting the sale of all beversgges that ooatain aloohol ia excess of four (4$) per centum by might' aad "Against pro- hibiting the sale of a12 hewer-ages that oontaia alcohol in excess of four (4$) per oentuza by weight.'
"(0). 'For'piohibiting the sale of all alcoholic beverages that co~toiu aloohol '19 moeas of fcurtem (14%) per centum 3y volume* and 'Against prohibiting the sale of'all alcohol10 bkertiges that ocntain alcohol in excess of fourteen (145) per oentum bjj voluns.*
v(f). rFcr prohibiting then sale of aIl.alb~h~dlio'birverages' and tdgainst prohibiting the sale of all alcoholic 'beverages.*
"Ta areas whore the ssle of beverages oontaiaing alcohol not in excess of fourteen (1%) per oentun by volume has been legalised, and those of higher alooholic cor:tcnt src prohiblted, one or mre of the following issues shall be sulm!ttod in any prohibitory election: *3 Hon. Thomas A. B&ton, "., page 3 (O-2114)
"(9). *3br prohibiting the sale of alcoholio beverages that contain'aloohol in excess 'of foti (4%) .p er ceutuu‘t@Ceight' aud 'Against prohibiting the sale of alaohdlio beverages that’coqtain alcohol in exoess of,four (4$) per c+ntum byweight. ,_
"(,h). SFor'prohibit%iig the sale'of'all~blboh'irlio beverages' and 'Against prohibiting the sale of all alcoholio beverages.*
"In areas where the sale of beer oontaining alcohol not exceeding four (4$) per k&xnaby weight has been legalized and all other alcoholic beverages are gohibited, the following issue shall be submitted in any pro- hibitory election:
"(I):. %r'prbhibiting the sale of be+ aontaining alcohol not the sale cixc&din&‘~fb~’ (&)Tpk:i ‘(r&rliiij ~6Jr~iGirght’ i&a ‘Agaihst *ohiwting of beer o&&&iing $cohol not.ex?eeding four ~(4%) per oentun-by veight.9
"Ehere more than one issue is submitted, on a sirigle ballot, no ballot shall.be eounted'urileiis -the voter shall vote upon eaoh of the issues appdarlng On any such b&lotj and each suoh ballot shall have winted there- on the Fords *This~ballot wi'il not beg Ginted unless the voter shall vote upon each of the issues appearing hereon.“' '1 .ln Justioe prebinot Hoe; 2, it is lawful to sell allalcoholic I&- _ _..
erages . ~erefo~;"th~~retl‘~lly,:Che o6unty'ai a whole i%'wet regarding _.... ali alcoholic bevuragSs.S~ That~'is'to~hsy, the~oduntjr tit Some prior eleotion voted in favor of'legklirirrg~the saLof all~ilboholic'bkweraged and the . .,.. _. _ _ -_ status, of:the ~~~~~-aii.a-iiholC-has-n~t bben ohanged by.a subsequent eleo-
t&m, other%ise itlould.ti uSakt%l to sell'iill al&ho110 bkvernges in .~. Recinot I?o..Z;. Be nuwt aastie~that~the presant~stehs of-the various _. _. . otlier~~~&tatslms 'been hroupht i&i&bjr eleotions heldiiub&quent to the .._. ~. -_._ .,._ _ . _. countyAXde.ele,otion legalis$iig-Yfhe saXi, of all~alboholio b&6rages. __. .._ _ _ . Therefore;'it'wiSld natrually-'foil% that in a aoun~--piide-.Ioc~"option'
til~btion~~h~e'ths, ohizitjr ai a'wh016,~~ib iret-regarding &ll‘alOoholic bev- erages,'tIil proper issues~to-ba FP;es~nted-~tb'bid'vdtbd upon Cold be “lb prohibiting~the sale.df all al.lcoh6lio 'beveregeo," and '%gninst prohibiting the sale of 'all alcoholic 'beverages.'
Inthe event.tlie &umt;P as a'whole voted favorably for'pr&ihit-' illg the sale of sll alooholi6 bevtiagbs, .t&b' &oUnty'Woiild be dry ai a whole. &d +&5 sirld‘of‘~-alooh~lio..~~r~es of any nature asdefined 16 the stntute-.~~ld. Fe. tiIir.$-l;: - hand, should %hC O&aty ti”~the~otfici? a8 a whole wte'&gbst sale of all~alcoh~lic~b~e~~8s, thir~~~&win~ as prbhibifM--the a whole wuld~be.met regarding all alceholia ,boverages; t&d the~various Justide Rebinots Guld retain their present status until ohanged by a subsequent eleotion.
In an opinion written February 4, 1936, this departzwmt held that when one of the three above mentioned provisions has been sulMtted and voted on favorably by the voters, the same would remain legal until and unless the specifia question is sgain subnitted to the voters end is repealed by them.
Hon. Thomas A. Blenton, Jr.; page 4 (O-2114)
In the case of Eouohias vs. Plaiuos, 110 8& (2d) 649, the Supreme Court of Texas, among other things, held that uuder the 1955 amendment of Seation 20, bticle 16 of the State Constitution, the area of any oounty;justioo ~ooiaot, oily or tom that was dry rhea the amendinentwout into effeot, remqinde$ dry with th? right to'b&s yt ly so voting at au'eleotion~held under the prosontlooel option statutes hold in the sq aseathatoriglnallyvotod dry, +iwhoro a a+tyhae oeasodto exist as 8 umuiolpal oorporation, %t'+T~J.exlnta for t&o plr- pose of holding looa& otpiou oleotioas to pako thearea thereof wet, either aa repreaouts all intexioating liquorr, or okly as,rotkpeots rine, or beer.
l7o quote from the absvo mentioned aaae aa follows: I . . . It was oettalnly the law at the time'tho City of So&t& EeightsLvoted to dissolve itr oarpoTato sristonae and amex its to+- tory to t&e wot oity of Boucrl+a that *en an~area~voted dry, it mma+od dry uutil,it was voted wet,at a, Eubsequent,oleotion'held'in akd,fOr the wme idtintioal area rhieh had t+erotof~re voted dsy, and the~ol+nge, or emu aboUtion;-of the'politieal or aorporate entity mhioh c&iprisod suoh area did not alter this fast or'rule of law. . . J'
Lmal optioa laws did'not -p&it iooai~&tiozs m&d iato'effo,& ,. +th lMf&&$ to; +&.se~olld~que,~~~& ,a* && ;&&;; ,sh&$&, wuntyas a rh&o seta fei,~prohibitiugfbe‘sale all ho&olio tierages; the wthfIro~d l4dry regarddug all alco~olio~~be+e+agos,-aud the karioua preoinota would have no a+il$ikty to call and,hold any looai option~eleotion.. Eweva, should the osuutiei 7&s agaiu6t prohi'bit~g~the,sale,of~all,d- ooholio lumrage~, the status of the various pro&@8 muld rem.@-the same,:,~md mioh preoiuets awild legally hold a l?+~optioir. eleotiou eulG%ti ting to the voters of the d%ffo~e@~prooibta the separa%axid diefinot stat&my issues upomtho question of logalitingtho bale of~~'malt and ;~ vinou& beverages or llquor,~ as amided f@$ in the atie meuti~od &a%& at any tine after the omaty-wide oleot%oO ih omplianae with the T~pas Liquor Control Jet.
In th~sooimsoti~, we oneloss a oopy of a& opjmiun'l70. &82? Conference Opiui& 'PO. 5947. TrustLng thrt the foregoing fully ansrers your inquiry,~re remain