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### :.

. .‘. 

## THEATTORNEY GENERAL

San,II.

Jaw8 Karen OpinionIlo. V-l.?%? lvlrtrk!t

Atbra6y Laredo,

Texas Re: Recessity 

### Soivoters 

### ohr sixty years 0S **a** 0 wtkoQo

& not Mbldb la ci la8 6r 

### 10,000fnlzabltaatr

QCROM ' Dbar Sir: to obtain poll tax exmptlon certlflcates.

Tour request Sor an opinion concemm tha 

### nemorrlty

for voters over sixty years OSage 

### whodo not reside in cltles of 10,000 inhabitante or more 

### to obtrln



### poll. tax exemption certiflcat~a, Article 

### 34 OSthe Texas ~lectlon **COdb** [a.B.

‘6, 

### Acts $Znd Lse., R.S, 1951, ch. 492, p. lOg7) pro**9%&s** ia part:

Avery **peracm**subject to nane OSthe **10~ at&ail**  tiarg&irquellficationa who shall h8ve

the age of twenty-one (21) yeape awl who shall, be a citizen of the United #Wtor, au who shall have resided In thlr Stat0 bnb 41) 

### yearnext preceding an elec**tlm, urd**  **thb I.&hat**  **SIX (6)**  months tithln tlba cmratj ln wIilah ho or she 

### arrert3 to vote 

### aballbe tlesabd a qualltlemd elector, provi Wat any **wtbr** who 10 rubjbct to,pay a **pal** P tax aadkr theI l&lWB 0r this **S*tb,** rhm11bavr yaia 

### raidtax 

# b6rcp0 osrering to vot6 *t a,wg r&otiai 

### la tla.lr Stats am.3 holds a re81ipt~

Article **42** OSthe Texas BledilOn Code pro**VUnrl Wary**  veraoh who t,ma lu?sd voter 

### 0th~6ms6 ma vho 18 exmnptTrcn paying 43 poll tax ahall **be** 

### entitled**to** vote with:hc.lt bbag 

### mpukrra to pay a poll tex m*.

BOA. 1, James Kazen, page 2 (v-1382)

obtained his certificate ol’ exemption ?ran the County T C llector when same ‘is required by thixpr&ieions of this Code.” Article 48 of the Texas Election Code provides in part;

*Every person who Is exempted by law Sroa the payment of a poll tax, and who la in other Peepects a qualified voter, who reai&s in a city of ten thousand (1.9mO) Wt@nts or more, shall, before the first ai Februsry of the year when such voter shall have become entitl.ed to such exemptlon, obtain from the Tax Collector of the c@unty of his or her residence, a certificate shoving **bie** or her exemption from the payment of a poll. tax. Such certificate shall. entitle such voter to,vate at any electloT helcl between the date of Lts issuance and a pe 1013

?f one (1) year from the 31st dq dSfa@uarg following its issuance; e i

. *Although entitled to an exemptian cert&?icate. no one shall. vote who does qqt p~ssees a current exemtion certificate.”

**IA** the case of Huff v, mfriela, 251 8.w. 298, 

### 299 (Tax. Civ. App, 1923), the court 0a~I.d:

. The facts show that this voter ha8 aot “6 $4 the poll tax and obtained a rmm$pt hat would have 6Atithd him to vote la the pear 1922, However, he teatlfle& b&d he waa born on **Fehruarg** 1, 1860,, and aansequently was 62 mare old OA February 

### 1, 1922,and therelore exempt from the payment

IA **Attorney** Oeneral’s Opinion O-7034 (1946), it la said at page 

### 7:

“The statutes recognize that in saw rrslaaaQo certificate is required, ae, $0 aul*h’le, ia the case 0S a peraan over 4&g&g #b&qrrOc lggawho &es aot reside In a cit$ **6f t&n**  **bhouaana**inhabitants OF**more. ’** .

Han, 8. Jemer ICezen, page 3 (V-1382)



### 1. Ita a kottur epinlon written to Haa. lllbeat Nxrr, date@ Jaauary 12, 1850, t:hLa ofi ee he ar 

### amsrr, Coua~yAtAmlmy math 6Qay 8~$*atille,

‘it la not newmary *or thoee votera who am exempt from tie payment of poll tams of **a** e, who no 0 fty of 0 BBCUMexto vote. &.g 253 83. 298 (Tax. 0%~. App.
It vial be observed that the Texas Zlsction 

### codi3 aateS,aa no provlcllon requiring vaterr over 6ixty % uam c?i age who do not rurlae in altie of 10,000 lnbltam~ or **more** to obtain poll tax exemption certiilcatgr i,a order ta vote at elections held in this State. Xn the abetmoe of thin provision, it is oil opinion that the mls of law announced in the above cam end opinions rtlll control8 and 6hP.t the parsons 1nqUfred about are not raqtdrsd to obtain poL1 tax exemption certiflcatee.

(fiaae 

### theCityOPLmsdo inyourjudicial dirtriat har a population of 51,910 lnhabltaat~ acoorQlng to the 1950 lredsrrl Oenaus, it maybe helpful. if WI pd.& out a mce#It change in th4 law ml@tive to voter8 over stity meam of age rssiotry; tn 

### aitbesof 10,000 

### tahabltaats or wore obtalw ur;nur$ #MY.&

### tax emrpption

cert1Moat4s. Zn 1945, tAt3Ia ialature amaM# V.Q&. (Acts 49th ,kg.# 1845, provide in part: oh. 39, 0.

“Ycve~yp:rac& who i8 axaa@eu by law ?rom the pa-at 0% a poll tax, i3mIwho 18 in other r4epeota 9 **qualWl4d** Wter, vho 

### rusides in a 

### cityot taa thowerd (1~0,000) inhabitants or am-u, shal.1, bsfom the first dlrf of February o$ tlm year w&u**aoh votsr 8hal bw4 awam4 4ntftlee t,o rwb emaptfon, *tesn tror t9rwTax 40llectar 

### 0r tha cwty ai b*s or her reaU.dence, 0 certltlcste mhovLrql;Mu ;"*U&i84r4X4@SiOll iFPa tk4 &Jlb#bellt Of epw . *auoh exuspt person shall on oath stets%OS8. %. James Kaeea, page $ (~~1-582)
occupation, the length of' time be has reslbeb in said county, and the length of time in the city, -and the number of the ward or voting preointit In which he rOBides, and shall also state his street 

### addresc by nameand number, Li 

### ambered, an8 the grounds upon which he g&mm ewrptlon from the pa-at of a poll a'

. . .

‘All certificates of exemption sha~ll. 

### be renevetl or reissued annually.” In Thomas v, Groebl, 147 Tex. **70,** 212 9.W.213 625, 532 (194q the court held that. the Legislature in enacting,the ab& amendment *did not intend that voters exempted from the payment of the poll tax, whohave procured certificates of exemption as required by **the** first paragraph of the amended article, shall 1044 their rtghts to vote for failure to procure renewed or r4lseued c(brtliicetes for the current gtiar

-”

However, in this connection the court said at page j29:

“If that had been the Intention of the 1eSislature in rewriting Article 2958; It could very 

### l

ashy have been expressed, ae vem alearly expressed 

### in Section 2 of Article VI of the Can&itution, the intention to me& the peym4nt of the poll tax before **fibruU?y** 1 .eaoh **mar** and the DrocurIIU? of a reodiat show-Hon. X. Jam& bzen, page 5 (V-1382)

fail, bJ the UEBOSplain terms which easily coul8 Rare been employeb to maIs+the procuring ofis Peneved 0~ **reisausb** certlfla*te a condition to the exerciring of t’he **right to**  vote; it does not even we in comeetlon wl* the provision a8 to annual runeval or reianuance of the certificate, or eleevhece, 

### such vordr 81 ‘of **the** yam in whlslr he or rho offers **to** vato’, which ace use4 in Art&ale 2$68a, oc suah vorde ee 

### ‘before
. . .he OPshe offers to vote,’ 

### whtchvere ussd LnArtUile et% 

### of 19&Scontains merely 

### thestabemantr before itr amendmentla 1930. The amen~e; certificate8 of exemption ehall be renewed OF reissued annually. Ia

tution of the following prrvisionst

t * Such certlfloate shell entitle 

### mmh v&*to voteat 

### sayelection heldbetvebn the dete of Its ireuante sad a r riod of 0134(1) ear **from** the 3lst Qay of amary foll,ovliy( i 8 issum8*.

. *

.

t

The 52na Le

### !!

ilrlrturs la prmurwd to have 

### km full aware of the ho 

### ala&inThmal v+QAW d By ,’e uee of the plern and ,uaequivoCW ’ Lm&e%& quote,d, it alearly eviQmce4 

### an 0itrntlon tochaage**the** tav $0 **a6 to**  requ~irs robrrr ow& **rixtp** pace of **age** m

### rld%r in citkr of&O,QOO%nhebitrot# ormoretoobtain alawf 

### 11

tax l ato qtion

eertltlcrtes

beforethefir& 4~ VOLof~bruwy ofeachfeariaoMer tobe quallffod to at **4o~otlonr Ike14** **%n thie**  **State.**

**Voter8 over**  **sixty** yeare of eec who do not reside in citlea of 10,000 inhabitante or more are not required to obtain poll taxBoa. E. James Kazen, page 6 

### (Vk~82)

4me tion aertificates in order to rot& et 0 eations held in this State. Huff v. “3e 

### pfflsla, 251S.W, 

### 298 (Tex. 

### Clv,**hoi,.TV23).** With reference to voters wet six* yeapa of age ~who

reelbe In cftler of 

### 10,000 inhabitants

or 

### more,the 52nd 

### LagislstPre amentledthe law 80 as to make It men$Otory that they obtain poll tax exemption aertlficatee mm&ally before the first day of Fee;uaw of eech year in order to be quall**Art.** 3 vote at elections held In this State.

, Texas Election Code (X.8. 

### 6 Aats **a, RoS.**  1951, ch. 492, pv lo&, 8B

AP?ROVBD% Everett Eutohlneon Yourr very truly, PRIOBDAluBL Attorney ffeUWel/ **Xxrcutlvr Aeol8tant**  **Price** Daniel **AttO?my** fJfH@ral JoDml 

# *e.EltzlhJ, C, Ihvls. Jr, Aorlrtdt