Bon. Stewart W. Bellman Oplnlon 

C~lmlnal Dietrlot Attorney 

Tarrant County 

Fort Worth, Texas lb: E: L 

Ho. v-871. 

Dear Sirr 

appllcablllty 

Swrst Ballot i&l 

EO eleotions to be 

held for school purPOE68 c

We refer to your recent letter which in substanoe rsade aa followr: 

fn Artlols VXII of S-B. 116, Aots Slot 

LegIslaturei provldla 

o!’ “dormant rohool d 4f etriots, 

loa th6 aonaolldatlon 

the following 

language appears: 

” Elections shall be held In such 

ooaaX4kl districtr ior the aseumption 

of outstanding bonds, if any, for the levying or taxes therefor, ana r02 the levying of a looal maintenan0.e tax; said elsotlons to be ordered and held as now provided by law,’ (Emphasis ours. )- 

“Article 2784e, et IWQ. of Title 49, Chapter 13, V.C.S., presoribes the procedure to be 

iollowbd now In such elections, unless H.B.‘Noo. 

357, Aats 51st Legirlature, the Searet Ballot 

Bill, has made 801~8 ohanges .’ 

Question 1, 

Question 2. 

Doss the Seoret Ballot Bill 

apply to euoh eleatlonlr held 

for the above purposes? 

Shorila rcheol bon.4 and aalatsnancs tax eleotlona be held 

under the prooed~e provided 

in Title 49, Chapter 13, V,O. 

se? 

That part o? Article VIII of S.B, 116, quoted 

above, requires "said eleotionsn (bond assunrptlon and 
* 

. * 

Hon. Stowmt W. liolItnon, page 2 (v-871) 

mointenmao tax olootlons) *to be ordered and hold ao 

now provide4 by law,.” This p~ooislen~ necoerarlly refers 

to tlrocrs opbaifio tbohool bona an4 tax eloation laws 

found la Tltlo 49, Chapter 13, V.O.B., for the reason 

that the gotiora1 provlolono of the election laws covore4 in Title 50, VA *St, do n6t provide for such special oloctlono . Laws provfdln~ for epecfal elections 

roi $&re ardod a8 spoa&aa laws. Wall&s v, Wlll?,ou& 

.!! 95, 108 S,W. 153 mOl3). 

Art&lo 2785 of the oohoo3 oIectlm Iawo prootrlboo the procedure “now provided by law” for elootLon8 to J.ovy echool molntontmcs taX and for the loouanoe of ochoolhouoo bonds oubjoct to the pPovlelono of 

Artlole 27848, V.C.S. Artlclo 2785 also opoclfioo that 

“oald elections shall be held and conducted as provided 

bz iaw for goneral elections, except as provldod hore- 

. Other oleatlon procoduro ior the voting, on4 isaumoo of bonds b independent dlotricta may be found in 

Art fob 2788. % o~toroo the @PovXrlens ol these laws, 

zt Pell.ovo that’lbatto~l, or ~OCbdtm ncrt controlled by 

these r&o01 alsotioa laws thomeelvoa aro rogtiated bj 

APticrlo 2786b, Sections I and 2, a school 

l loctlon law, prooorlboo a prooedure”ao now provided by 

law” r0r en olrotion b 8ohool amr:ati3 eUWrged or 

attennbea 011 the qurotroa of the ao8w@Won of bonded ln4obtednooo by said dletrlct oo onLa~$od or extended an4 

t&o IovyUg an4 crolletitlng of a tax therein to pay the 

lntoroot on4 pr#no%pol thovoei. That statute further 

opoolrloo that tho Law la ~?oieronco to the oalllng of 

elootlono and tho holding of oleetiono ,for the iosuanao 

of oohool houoo baQar b any ouoh alotrlst (see Artlcleo 

27840 2783 2789) oha$l be appllaable to ouch election 

to t&i oxtekt *hot ruoh law lo applloablo and not In 

oonfllct harewith, aad In tho event of’ conflict the provialone of this Act ohall.ooatrol~” Slnee Artlolo 2786b 

rei‘ers to Artiole 2785 with regard to olootlon procoduro, 

matters or procedure not controlled by this o&a001 law 

ltaelf or the sohool law8 to which it makes reforo~ae ail 

applloablo to ouoh b&n& aorsioptl~n elootlons nrs.~pogulatod by the #onriM provioiona of the olmtion 18~6, 

Title go. 

It has boon ho14 that as a onePa rule mottom not coatrollod bf thi oohool ob(L & utes providing ior 
-.. . 

, 

Bon. stewart 

the election 

v. 

Of 

era1 provlal,ons 

50, Revised Civil StBtuteB, 

S.W.2d 327 Tax. Clv. App. 

S.W.26 4'2 Tex. Civ. App. 

SX.710 (Tim Glv. App, 1922 

oarrled over with respect to bond and maintenance tax eleatlons by virtue of epeoific grovirlonr of 

Aed16 2785 qu0t6d b~6Sa. mfia V, crwrpl, 34 s.Um 

616 (Iox. Clv, App. lg30). 

wm 1 

Article 2978 OS Title 30, V.C.S,, aa amtied 

prQv1ues in part: 

"In g&l sleGtiolw by the people, ththr vote 

-official. bollo2, whloh shall be 

3 guarded an6 cronducted as towdetect iraud and preserve the purity 

of the ballot. Ho ballot shall be umd in 

We rind no rtatutsm whioh eioopt sohool dirt&&8 in their qxclal hop and Miatenaqs tax elmtiom from-the une of the Offlelal Ballot and the for8 

It #hall take aI prworl in the general provirions or 

the sleotion lam TItlr 88 awmdsd~. Artiole 2785, 

to vhioh Ariiolc, kf86b WKW ?mfemmca, speoifioall 

? 

provldes that raid elrotSanr ahall bo'bela and oon~uo eb 

aa provldad q law wrsacr&cl olro$f&g& except as provided here$n. 

floum Bill 357, the SsolM Ballot Will, IO an 

amndatory law amending aortain enumerate& general proViPimlf3 or the election law8 of Title 50, R.C.S. 1925. 

Examinction ‘3f tho original bills on file in the oifl.co 

of SecrsWry of State reveals that E.B. 357 became ofteotive on &no 7, 1949, ant3 that S.B. lo. 116, e OllmorAlkln Bill oontaininc Artiole VIII quoted f.n your letter, 

became eSSectivc on June 8, 1949. Hmse Bill 35"l does 

not undertake to amend the provlalona of the sohool laws 

herein dlsou~mxl. Therefore, as herainbsforc stated, to 
. -or 

L 

Ea. atewart w. He3lman, gage 4 (v-871) 

the extent that the procedure for school bond and malntanl&lre tox eleehkms are got covered b$ the eohool lavs 

tUnm6lves, the ganer81 p*ovisiens of the eleation laws, 

T&t16 50, ae 8mwubd by the Secret till& Bill, are agpltoable and eomtg~lllng. 

Prbeedwe GQP oowlwt~ and holding of 

bead aaerlmptlon md maintenance tax elections 

required by Article VIII of S.B. 116, Acts 

fiLrt Le&elsture, is prescribed in the school 

sleation laws of Title ,49, Chrapter 13, Re19915, 88 aaended. Artl5, 2?86b, 2m8~2923, v.c-s, 

Zfattsfs of'proaedum in the above eleatlona not contro;lle& by spec%$lc school eleotion laws are regulated by the general election laws as amended by the “Sec,ret Ballot 

BtLl.” @tie vi,, Qr\a~e, 34 S,W.26 616. 

Poura very truly, 

A'I'TORREY WRERAL OF TE%AS 

. 

Oheotr B. Olli8on 

t3lb$ra Assistant