Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
lnc a reoourl4eratlao of our
reacs (18 f olllxssa
tweltt 44ns year8 oi ago.aftor &uauary 1 4d, Isay vot0 in any aleetloa 31 i
da in tklilr stat0 provided they 6aa- ply with tb.0 terms of ,4.rtlolo 806%a, with rrfcrmoo to obtPlning sxoqtlox~ aortlfle.asta en ar before the 3lst day
xon. tiorge H. Sheppard, Page 2
of January In the year in which be de- sires to vote, re!~ardless of the tlo!e when euoh lndivldunl my baamo trmty-ane years of a*, the only requieite being that said person m8t be twenty-one at the tisle he preoents himeel? at the polle to vote, end not otherwise dlsqu6llfied to voto under the Conetitutlon anU the lawa of thla State.*
Wlnoe the first paragraph we have quote4 states that you belioveil t&et Conforenoe Opinion Ho. 290s eup.ra, oorreetly ooaatrued the law, an4 the !est paragraph of that opinion etater thut it wa8 not necessary to issue exesption oer- to persons who booama twenty-one peara tifioatee at age in Qril, 1936 that rotsided in a oity whioh had a populatlon of two t?:ouaand inhabitants in order to entitle the@ to vote In the u'uly pri- ~2ary 1036, it raise8 a qussflon ae to tbo apecifio Beaning of the lart paWg%ph in your opinion d.at- ed Cseoembsr 7, 1939.
*It was he14 In Coniersaoe Opinion Do. 29SEl that &Mole 2969 has n& b@;ell repealed. You Ml1 notioe that this artfele epecirlly provldes that It will not bo mossnary for IS carson ulto beome twenty+ne years of am attar the fimt day 0f Sammy; and before the date 0r r0ih- 11~ eleotion to obtain a C8rtifioate. unleee he resides in a olty that has a population o? five thcuaand or r:ore Inhabitants. Pages 8, 9 and of Opluian Xo. 2968 rsake opeoial relerenoe to the provIsIon or *Mule 2969.
voTollowi~~ tha paeaa~e oi Arblole 296SA, the Tax Aneeeaor-0olleotoriJ were advised that It would be neoensery to lsfme an exemption eortiflaate to a person If he beoeme twenty-one yearo o? age after January lot of the year for whlah the eertliioate wna loaurr4, em4 before ?ebruary 1 of the foll~ln(~ year, and that It would not be neoeesary to 18riue the aertlflaate if the person beoame twenty-cm yonrs of age after January 31 follouinrj the year *3 Hon. George H. .Sheppard, Pnga 3
for W!ilOh a poll tax is asneaaed.
w’3inoe the oourt In the Called County oaee referred to In yam opinion a:parently held that aertifloatalr should be issued In all InatanceB), and then is mne question as to thn requirmente of Artlole eO68A you will pleeae advlae ua es moon aa poeoibie whether or not It all1 be aecessary for the Tax Amesaor-oolleatcms to lenue aortlfioateo to all persona who have beoosle twoaty-one years or age sinor Jonuapy 1, 1939, or who nil1 bettors twenty-one peers of age prior to the date of an eleatlon ot which tho pe~eone wleht deaire to vote.
“If Artiolo 2969 hes not been repooled, ~111 it be neceseary ior e person to obtain a certAr1oat.e if hle t?fenty-first birthday Is aftor Junuery 31, 1940, and ho meidee In a oltp havl*e jmpulntlon oi iire thousand or wore inhabitants, or will the exemption apply to a:1 persons who do tmt reside in a oity having a population of tel thou&n4 or mre lnhebltente? You will, no. iae that dx-tlole 2968 at one time applied ta al E lea ai five thousand or Eore Inhabitants. ITben tlcls arti- a10 wen repealed w 88 to apply to altlee of ten thowand Inhebltante, Article 2969 war, not repl)eled.*
Artlele 2968e, Vernon*a Civil hatate Statute8 reads in pert (18 follower
%rery person not subJeot to the dlsquali- flaationa set out in brtlole ,2954 ot the Tie- ~ioe4 Civil Statuke of 1926 who does not re- side in a oity oi ten thousand lnhebitente or more, an4 who Iv exempt from the peyment oi a poll tex by reason of the faot #at he OP she hum not pat reaahed the ego oZ twenty-one year8 on the rirst day of Jeausr'y pwoeding its Ury, or who la axerapt. frm the paymnt of a poll tax beoermo hr or ehs was not a resident of the Stwte on rlret day a? Jfmuery prooedin6 its levy, but who abell have elnos booon, ellgibls ta vote by reamn of length of reaidenoe or age,
shall, on or before t.!a thirty-first day o? Yanuory of the yoar in whloh he or she offers to vote, obtain frcsa the Asnossor and Collaator of Taxes for the county of 3s or her rusldenoe a aertifionte of exemption trcac the payment ot a poll tex, and nc euoh person who has Sailed or refused to obtain euah aertlflaate of exenp- from the payment a: a poll tax shall be tlon allowed to vote.
*&ah exempt person shell on oeth at&to his name, age, raae, aountp of reeldenco, oeou- pation, length of tine, he baa raaldad in the sttats oi Texae, the length er tlxie he has reaided 3.n raid aounty, and the length of t&e in the city end the number oi the ward or votl&z pm&t In whlah he reaidee, andshall alno state his street address by nane end number, tt numbered, and bin or har rural addrese lf not e realdent of a alty or a vlllege. Fe shall @m&ate the @?oundo upm whiah he alalme tmai&&ilon fmmthe payment of a poll toz, end euoh infonsatlcn pertalnlng to foreign-born oltltens aa fe net out In the oertiiiaate here- baiter preeorlbaa.
WA aertifiaate of exeaptlon iron the pay- mmt of poll tax ehell be lesued from a well bound book, oontalnlng therein original and dapllaete, ond upon is&me the osrtlflcaater laeued to the exmpt voter shall be detached tsam said book, laavl~ therein a duplloate aarbon o? ather oapy thereof, whioh ehell aontaln the dam des- eription, and +Ae orlglnel oertificats, bead- ita proper number, shall be delivered to the altlasn In mrson to Identify hia in voting.
Certlflaates of exam tion for eaoh crealnot ahell be numbera& oonaecu vsly, beginning at lluaber tp
One.
The Tax Amassor and Colleator Mm11 plnoe the name8 n? euah proon who are rxuupt from the peyme,nt of poll tax end uho reaslve an sxenp- tlon aartifioate under tbo term of this dat, on the re@O.ar lint of qualified voters for each preolnot.
*Ho aharge shall be rinds by tbo Tax dnseeeor *5 627’ a.23 Colleator for the leeuanae of ctortlfloatea of sxenptioa 8s yrenarlbad by this Act.
n . . . . . . .
*In the evsnt the exengt voter, holding oertltlaate under thle Artlala, shell renove frm ono voting preafnat to another wlthin the oounty, he ohall only be required to present hia oertlfieat* of axenrptlon to the !?a~ Assessor and Colleotor for endornenent whioh sndoreenent ohell ahow the datn of remove i , and the date of endorsement, the new adaross ant? preolnat to rhioh auah voter haa removed, ahiah andoreement ohnll be under eeal end slqned by the County Tax Annesoar and Colleotor.
"In the evant the exempted voter holalng oerttfiaete under this Artlole shall renove irae the oounty in rhloh he resldod when eeme wee issued, to enother county inthle State he shall be required to preeent bia certif~aete of execlption to the Asa8saor and C6lleetor of taxes of the aountp ot hlo new renldenoe ior reiww at regletratlon and endoreement at least twenty &eye before any eleotlon et whioh he ax- peote to vote.
"In, the event of the loee of aertlifoate a? extmptlon, the voter xmy eeaure a reissue un- der hla old nuazber by meking aftlduvlt of eueh looa before t&a County Tax Aaeeoaor end Co;Z1eotor.n
iYe quote ?rcm thq ease of Clark Vsa Stubb%, 131 SW 2nd 603, a4 iollowsr
*Apprlle4 ohallonged the rotee of Elell ?:oae Yorriaoy, Isff Dyer, llllie Oibson, BiDmr Hezwlg, Loaiae X'iderbrueh Urers. Fknman Bexiel, Clinton Jeaobe, end Willla DIeekburn, beowse eaab 09 thsn beowe 82 yeara of age aftor fanusr 1030, and prior to Rtmnber 8, 1858, and u rki' nr tho governing etatute, there- tore, they w4r4 not ontltlea to vote without an sxomFtlon 44rtl-Clcsta. Art. 296&a, Vernon*@ *6 .
obtains4 stWh a Ot3l%~bnt6. The 5tetutO 18 xwndntwp aad thsor votar* wet0 not quatifiad to tof#,e at the rlootlon, land tA& taal oours rorreetly aakud56 all.or 0uah vder* &ml- lnub eantomt., howerar, the% sfaoa thm oapfion to Art. 896&1 di4 not rpeeiiieally deflns the voters to wkm the esenption olauw relate4 or referra4,~ that lb was unacmstLtufSona1, This 10 an~olration omteate It is not a olvll suit, aa4 the eonstltutlouality er the statute oannof~ be rtt:dm4 in this aorb Oz mttarr *a tan4 to ahow th4t th5 l leotlQn *wan not pmparly orbspad or fsifly oondust- d., sueh tts the.fallure to @vs not&e of the time an6 gfaes *where the eleoflon is to be held w that iUe$al ootssiwsre aabt themat, or-sma other~~tto~thntwou&6 tijwaahtho Ssfrnoss af the r44uLC.' T345se~ vr Shanklin ,I, U-33 9. iv. 105; t&us11 v0e (Tn,X. Oh* AQ LOW~I (TSX, 1 0 T, A~v,), a68 9. we cm,*
w#s Celiovo that Bonioronoo Opinion Won 2UE8, snpra, oorrbotly o~netr~u1)8 ths law relatiEg to the *7 . .