Honorable lhomss i. Bleaton, Jr.

CouatyAttorney Shsokelford County dltaay, l!e%as imar Zirr Opinion No. O-2114 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'PrebinotRos. ~l%ursad Pive, 5.tis 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 following 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 presented in case.it is desired to prohibit the sale of all forms of alooholio 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 ~thedate 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 bevsrages is prohibited and the issue or issues subnitted 

### pertainto lcgalisation of the sale of one or more such prohibited types or olassifioations, one or nom of the following is8llcS shall be sufmitixd: "(a) 'For legalicing the sale of beer that doe8 not contain alcohol in excess of four (4$j per oentum by weight' sad 'Against legalitiag the sale of beer that does not contaia alcohol ia excess of four (4$) per centum by weight.' "(b). 'For legalicing6the sale 

### of malt and v-iaousbeverages 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 of 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 legalized, 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$) per centum by might' aad "Against prohibiting the sale of a12 hewer-ages that oontaia alcohol in excess of four (4$) per oentuza by weight.' "(0). 'For'piohibitingthe sale of all alcoholic beverages that co~toiu aloohol '19 moeas of fcurtem (14%) per centum 3y volume* and 'Againstprohibiting the sale of'all alcohol10 bkertiges that ocntain alcohol in excess of fourteen (145) per oentum bjj voluns.* v(f). rFcr prohibiting thensale 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:Hon. Thomas A. B&ton, "., page 3 (O-2114)

"(9). *3brprohibiting the sale of alcoholio beverages that contain'aloohol in excess 'offoti (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 'Againstprohibiting 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 prohibitory election:

"(I):. %r'prbhibiting the sale of 

### be+ aontaining alcohol not cixc&din&‘~fb~’ (&)Tpk:i ‘(r&rliiij ~6Jr~iGirght’ i&a ‘Agaihst *ohiwting the sale of beer o&&&iing $cohol not.ex?eeding four ~(4%)per oentun-byveight.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 thereon the Fords *This~ballotwi'il not begGinted unless the voter shall vote upon each of the issues appearing hereon.“'

'1 .lnJustioe 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

titSome prior eleotion _.... voted in favor of'legklirirrg~the saLof all~ilboholic'bkweragedand 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~stehsof-the various .~. otlier~~~&tatslms 'beenhroupht i&i&bjr eleotions heldiiub&quent to the _. _. .

.._. ~. -_._

.,._ countyAXde.ele,otionlegalis$iig-Yfhe saXi, of all~alboholio b&6rages. _ . _. Therefore;'it'wiSldnatrually-'foil% that in a aoun~--piide-.Ioc~"option' __. .._ _ _ . til~btion~~h~e'ths, ohizitjr ai a'wh016,~~ib

iret-regarding&ll‘alOoholic beverages,'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 'allalcoholic 'beverages.'

Inthe event.tlie

&umt;P as a'whole voted favorably for'pr&ihit-' illgthe 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;:

- ti”~the~otfici? hand, should %hC O&aty a8 a whole wte'&gbst prbhibifM--the sale of all~alcoh~lic~b~e~~8s, thir~~~&win~ as 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 caseof Eouohias vs. Plaiuos,110 8& (2d)649,the SupremeCourtof Texas,amongotherthings, heldthatuuderthe 1955 amendment

of Seation 20, bticle 

### 16 of the StateConstitution, the area of any oounty;justioo ~ooiaot, oilyor tom thatwas dryrhea the amendinentwout

intoeffeot,remqinde$ dry with th? right 

### to'b&s yt ly so votingat au'eleotion~held undertheprosontlooeloptionstatutes hold in the sq aseathatoriglnallyvotod dry,+iwhoro a a+tyhae oeasodto existas 8 umuiolpal oorporation,

%t'+T~J.exlntafor t&oplrposeof holdinglooa&otpiouoleotioas to pako thearea thereof wet, eitheraa repreaouts all intexioating liquorr, 

### or oklyas,rotkpeots rine, or beer. l7o quotefrom the absvomentioned aaaeaa follows: I

. . . Itwas oettalnly the lawat the time'tho Cityof So&t& EeightsLvoted

to dissolve

itr oarpoTato

sristonae

and amex its to+- tory to t&ewot oityof Boucrl+a 

### that*en an~area~voted ry,it mma+od dryuutil,it

was votedwet,ata, Eubsequent,oleotion'held'in akd,fOr

the wme idtintioal

arearhieh had 

### t+erotof~re voteddsy, and the~ol+nge, or emu aboUtion;-ofthe'politieal or aorporate

entity mhioh c&iprisod

suoh areadid not 

### alter thisfastor'rule

of law. . . J' Lmal optioalaws did'not -p&it iooai~&tiozsm&d iato'effo,& ,.

+th lMf&&$ to;

+&.se~olld~que,~~~&,a* && ;&&;; ,sh&$&, wuntyas a rh&o seta fei,~prohibitiugfbe‘sale of 

### all ho&olio tierages; the wthfIro~d l4dry regarddug all alco~olio~~be+e+agos,-aud thekarioua preoinota would have no a+il$ikty 

### to calland,hold any looaioption~eleotion.. Eweva, shouldthe osuutiei 7&s agaiu6t

prohi'bit~g~the,sale,of~all,dooholio

lumrage~, the statusof thevariouspro&@8 muld rem.@-the same,:,~md

miohpreoiuets

awildlegally

hold a l?+~optioir. eleotiou

eulG%ti tingto thevotersof the d%ffo~e@~prooibtathe separa%axiddiefinot stat&my issues

upomtho question

of logalitingtho

baleof~~'malt

and ;~ vinou&beverages

or llquor,~

as amided f@$ 

### in the atie meuti~od &a%& at any tine afterthe omaty-wide oleot%oO ih omplianaewith the T~pas LiquorControl

Jet. In th~sooimsoti~, we onelossa oopyof a& opjmiun'l70. &82? Conference

Opiui& 'PO.

5947. TrustLng

thrtthe foregoing

fullyansrers your inquiry,~re

remain