**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 

HonorableJohn Stapleton County Attorney nora county Ploptada, Texas
Dear Sir: Opinion Ilo.oRe1 Aoor8lJity

**Wr** are pleased t Iotter of Deoembor 30, 1BSS. we **pta0t0 rr0pl**  p

**an** eleotlon mltruotbon

or Pub110 Instruotlonanb appointedClarsnoe **Quif*e** **County Suparfntandsnt.w** mat pm 

### or hai 8688, ~OCI~OLL'O imti0tOt06 

### cltii Statuto8, llM5, whioh ia **portlnent** to the faotr uhlah you preoent **prorides:**
".


### . . and, if a majority

### of the gualiflbd propertytnx-payingvoter6 tot- 

### at said olootion ohall rota for 

### the atmtlon 09 the offioo of county &uparint*ndont in 8a1e ootmty, tho com**mle0ioneTo*** **Court, at**  It0 WXt Ngalar term after the held* Of oaf6 l leotloa~ shall oraato the orrio of County Superinturdont, ana aom a Cowty Suporinten6aritwho shall qualify under t&o Chapter and hold mmh ofi%ee ant11 **the Iurt**  ocmerel Bleetloa.

. . .g (t3n~erooCFhg **oarnJ** A0 

### iu: rio



### w haW bUn able to a6oartain,them IO w&wa~ **oan** oonotrulng **tha** aborr gwted port1011 of nrtiolo



### . In **iilW66~~t~** 

### the oaool 

### of other joriodiotiono,relrtit* 

### to the @raw **"hea** 

### 6eImral eloation", we hat6 fo\pld aon* 

### with **root8** 

### uu~Lo@oa8 to **thooe** 

### wuoh mu have praoonkb. mea can0 r&or w ogpolatwato mida ror the unexpired 

### term of rariouo 0rri808 end ar* 

### not relative 

## to tha ag ointmnua ma&o **to ffllnowly**  

### ore&ad ofJio@o. Afteruonslaar~ 

### L **thee*** 

### 0an0, w find 

### that the 

### oourtaare la ooafllotaa to the smning 05 Waxs 

### uuwral eleotion*. wuwrouo jtuio6lotlo~o oonoladot&a* thio @ran relatms to the ‘%efmralsloetlonRwhloh io aoxt in point or tfiw. Otbrr $arioillotlono adopt tba rule that *next guu ral

l leetione

rofsr8 

## to the nert g8aaral l

loot%en 

### at whloh a ltao0awor to the off&m uould Ime beon elrotod had therm bral no raealloy. 

### The *ordine

## or the **Conotitution** 

### er tha 

### Stat**uteo or**  

### the partloalar 

### jarlo~latloa appears to ba tha controlllng 

### factorin each lnstanoe.

**Th666 6tutcbDPUlt6**  

### are rsriflrbby the many eaoao whioh we hwe ooaol6ered (txxm~~)row to mantlon here) aad **by** the **noto in**  **SO L.B.A.**  **(19.s.J 369,**  **ahloh otatao**  **in** parts

*The aourto are In e+&liot a6 to the auanla@ of the phrarw *next uowral el~aotian' 

### or similar axprsosion,wed in the 0EafntaeprovltUng**for** tb fius,qg oi 

### vaoawl86 la **publAo** 

### oiflooo. Ia the **abaenoe 6i**  **8peO%fiO ooSWtitUfioep1**  **or atah**  **tory oonotruation,**  **mine Qcurto**  take **the** view that **ouoh phra8so**  **awn thr**  **elaotion &am**  **lB point**  **Of** tlxw, whfl6 others &old that suoh phraos6 refer to the mxt ~leation at whlah a oubeeooorto the

..:HonorableJohn Stapleton, Pago 3

offloe would have been eleotadhad there beon no Tnoanoy.
".
. . "de was stated above, the term *next general elaatlon'has been held to mean the general eleotion next in point of SW, although,had there been no vacancy,no eleotlonto the offloe rould hare been held until 8ome aubsequontyear. (Citing caeee)
".

. . "On the other hand, It he6 **been** held that the phrase *next generaleleotlon* **refers to**  the general eleotlonat whloh the oiiloewould have been tilled had there been no raeanoy. oPoea;
. . .* toit4

In view oi these oondltioaoend olrauwtwaa~, we mot resort to a oonotruotion OS our onn otatateoto detarmlne the meaning of the phrase "next general elaotionW,and not blindly adopt the rule or another jnrlodlatlon whose partioular oonetltatlon

or etatutesara worded dlfiterontly from our own. In eonstruingotatate8,a0 a generalrule, words In 6omuon nne, when oontaind in a etatute,will bo read aooording to their natnral, ordinary and populerm&a&g. Also en aat should be given a fair, rational,reasonableand oenaible oonotruotlon,

oonalderingltn langnago and oubtbjoat matter. These **rules** are so well established a&d familiar that no authority lo aeoeesary.

*It is", aleo~ *the general pollay ot the law to till raoanoiea In an electMe oifla8 at an eleotlona0 Soon as praoticable after the vaaanoy OOOUITO.hat6 ~‘8. ~ohroader,99 lfeb. 959, ll3 **B.W.** 192". ~,stat.e ex rel. Roerlok TO. Board of Com*ra. of Lyman County, et al, S.D. 1914, 14s 91.11. 348; See aleo 46 Corpue Jurie, Sao. 121, p. 994, and oases olted. (3nderscoriW ours) Thj.8

rule is followed in Taxaa ae Is ehom by the ease OS DobkinaVB. Beaae , CIT. App. 3929, 19 **S.W.** (26) 81, whera the oourt, on p. 83, sald:
"'As was said by Judge Moore in Wright w?. Adam@, 45 TBX~ 134, It is believed,moreoter, to be aEonorableJohu Stapleton,Page 4

sop06 rule of oonetruotlon, which holds, when the durationor tar6 ot an 

### orrice which Is rillea popular eleotion la a queatlonor doubt or upby oartainty,that the interpretation Is to be tollowed whloh limits it to the shortesttixie, and rOtum3 to the people at the earllaetperiod the parer and authorityto refill it.

. . .** Article 2930,Veruon~8 AnnotatedCivil Statutes of 1925, provides In part:

"A general eleotlon shall be held on the fir& Tuesday after the first Monday iu Wove6- bar, A. D. 1926, and every two yeara thereafter, at suoh plaoes as eay **be** prescribedby Law, after notloe as presorlbedby Law.
. . .v BY **virtue** ~0sthe last quoted portion or Article 2930 and the rules of conatruotlon above @et out, It lo the opinion of this depaxtxmntthat it will be neoeesaryto hold a6 eleotiou falsity Superintendent of Public Inotruotloufor Floyd County

. Suoh ie the ooncluolonreached **by** giving the quoted portion 

### 0r Artlole 2688, supra, Its natural,ordluarp,reaoonable and senalble ocmotruotion, and by ratuming to th6 people at the earliestperiod the power **sad** authorityto rail11 the deat Iv4 offloe.

The rora *naxtw

, in oon5on parlauoe,mane a6eare6tv au& la so derlnod in Webster*8Wew International Dictionary. The general eleotion to be held In 194C. in oompllanoe with Article 2930, eupra, Is the general lleotlon wnaarestwto the tima 0r appointmentor y0ux present County 

### superintendentol Pub110 Xnstruotlon.

The oonotrudtlon

we have plaoed on that portlon of ArtiOle 2088, oupra, which is pertinentto the facts whioh you have presented,la supportedby an opiuionrendered by this department,

Ho. O-1664. The stat&a under cou6ideratlOuin that opinionwas Art1016 2355,Veruon*oRevleed Civil Statute@, 1925, and its terminology ia vary almilarto that portion of A+iole 2888 whlah we are Oousldering. We quota Article 2355:

*The Couxt shall have powOr to fili vacauczles In the office of: County Judge, Connty **Clerk,** sherirf, countyAttornOy,county heamuer, County Surveyor,Couuty Ride Iuapeotor, Aaaaaaor of Taxee, Collsotorof Taxes, Justices of the Paaae,HonorableJohn Stapleton,Page 3

Constables,

and County Superintendent of Publio Instruotion. Suoh racanoiea shall be filled by e majority rote of the members of said Court, present tend

voting. and the person chosen shall hold office until the next general eleation. AS amended iLets

19 40th I, 248, ch. 90, 6 1." 1 t C.S., p. (Onderet%g &me) The feet.8

presented in 

### Opinion Ho. O-1664 were stated as follows:

"*In my special ease,my hueband'sterm would have expiredJanuary 1, 1943, since this is e rotu year ofiiee and he had servednot quite one year 0r his term. I am told that I oan hold it until the next general eleotion,but 

### it seems to me this should be interpretedas aeaning 

### anti1 the next general eleotion for this office,which would ooeur in 1942. Whioh interpretatioa is correet?*~ On the basis of these faots, the op5nlon 8tated: wPrior to 19S1, the offiee of aounty eehool superintendent

was ror a term or two years. Sin88 1931, ths offiae of eoanty sohool superintendent has been ror a term of fom years. The other eofmty offiaes emmrated in Article 2333 are for terms or two years. There are numerous aistriat and state offieearor longer terms than two yems. and irreapeotire

of the length of the unexpited term of the appointee's predecessor,the appointee may only hold office until the next general eleotion. There has been no judicial constrnetion of Article 2333, aforesaid,a8 to the offioe of eolmty 

### 8Ohwl superintendent. However, the language ir olear aad is not subject to a contrary eonstruetioa than that the appointeemust be up'ror eleetion, and that the offioe is 

### open to electionat the next general ebetiOB, and that the term of the appointee till expire 0B Jarmary 1st r0nowing the aext general election. That ill,where an elective orriae is raeant asd is filled by appointment of the Oo~ernor or ComaissioBers* Court, swh appointitspower is only a matter 

### or expedienoyin that the will and power of the ,people will prevail to -me the incumbentat the next geaeral d8OtiOn."BonorebleJohn Stapleton,Peg8 6

IB an8wer to your seoand question,you ere respeetfully adrlwd that, in our opiaion, the peraon elected to 

### the offiee of County Superintendent of Public Instruotionat the next general eleotionwill be eleeted for a term of four years.

howhere, have we been able to find any provisionfn the Statute8or Constitution Of this State requiringthe gounty Superintendents of the various oouBtle8 to be sleeted at the 8aiS8

general eleotion;nor have we found any prorlrrion that would require the oounty superintendent to be elected et aBy speoifiogeneral eleotion,end then at the end of regular iatenalslthereafter.

Attention is direotedto that portion of Art1018 2686, supra,whioh provides:

"The 

### Commissioners~ Court of every couuty having three thousand (3,000) eoholastiopopuletion or -1-8 es shown by ths preo8ding seholastie oeneue, shall et 2 general Eleotion provide for the electionof a County Superintendent to sene.ror a term 

### 0r **rour** (4) J%@U8,

. . .* (UBd8r8OOring

0Ul-S) Thie prori8ioaolearly indloatesthat county superintendentsare not required to be elected at any epeaifiegeneral el8otion,but, 08 

### the other hand, 8ueh offioersmay be el88ted at any general eleotionpresoribedby hrtiole 2920, eupre provided, or course, all other neaessaryrequirementsare mei

.

In view of this provision,and oonolusion,end by virtue of the faot that the present county superintendent Of Floyd Countywas not appointedto fill an uuexplrodterm of a previousoffleer, there 18 nothiBg whioh would limit the per808 eleoted at the next general eleotion to a term of less than r0l0r pears. fitiole 26SSa,Vernon'sAnnotated Civil Statutes, 1925, provides:

*J.B all oountiea in which the eopnty euperintendent of sohoole is ahosen by popular 8leetiOn the term 0r orrioe shall be roar y8ars.* Sj.hee the County Superintendent of Public In8trQotiOn


# cHonorableJohu Stapleton,Page 9

is to be elected at the next general eleotion, and since suoh orricer **will** not be dleoted to fill en unexpired term of the previoue superintendent, it is our ~pinlon that such duly eleoted officerwill be entitledto a **four** year term as provided for in mtlcle 2688a, supra.
**Yours very**  **truly** ATTORNEY GENER&L OF TFXAS

%alter R. Kooh Assistant

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