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 EOeleotions to be held for school purPOE68 c Werefer 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 etriots, 4floa 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.etax; said elsotlons to be ordered andheld as nowprovided by law,’ (Emphasis ours. )-

“Article 2784e, et IWQ.of Title 49, Chapter 13, V.C.S., **presoribes** the procedure to be iollowbd nowIn 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.4and aalatsnancs tax eleotlona be held underthe 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 andhold ao 

### nowprovide4 by law,.” This p~ooislen~ necoerarlly refers to tlrocrsopbaifio 

### tbohoolbona 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

. Lawsprovfdln~ for epecfal elections roi $&re ardod a8 spoa&aalaws. Wall&s v, Wlll?,ou&

.!! 95, 108 S,W. 153 mOl3). Art&lo 2785 of the oohoo3 oIectlm Iawoprootrlboo the procedure “nowprovided by law” **for** elootLon8 to J.ovyechool 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 

### @PovXrlensol 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 nowprovided by law” 

### r0r en olrotion 

### b 8ohoolamr:ati3 eUWrgedor attennbea011

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 Lawla ~?oieronco to the oalllng of elootlono and tho holding of oleetiono ,for the iosuanao of oohool houoo

### baQarb any ouoh alotrlst (see Artlcleo 

### 27840 2783 2789) oha$l be appllaable to ouch election to t&i oxtekt *hot ruoh law lo applloablo andnot 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&a001law 

### 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(Lutes & 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 andmaintenance tax eleatlons by virtue of epeoific grovirlonr of Aed16 2785 qu0t6d b~6Sa. mfia V, crwrpl,34 s.Um 616 (Iox. Clv, App. lg30). 

# wm1

Article 2978 OSTitle 30, V.C.S,, aa amtied prQv1ues in part:

"In g&l sleGtiolw by the people, ththr vote -official. bollo2, whloh shall be

3guarded an6 cronducted as towdetect iraud and preserve the purity of the ballot. Hoballot shall be umd in

Werind no rtatutsm whioh eioopt sohool dirt&&8 in their qxclal hop andMiatenaqs tax elmtiom from-the une of the Offlelal Ballot andthe 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 amendingaortain enumerate&general **pro** ViPimlf3or 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, ant3that S.B. lo. 116, e OllmorAlkln Bill oontaininc Artiole VIII quoted f.nyour letter, became eSSectivc onJune 8, 1949. Hmse Bill 35"l **does** not undertake to amendthe 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&t1650, **ae 8mwubd** by the Secret till& Bill, are agpltoable and eomtg~lllng.

Prbeedwe GQPoowlwt~ andholding of bead aaerlmptlonmd maintenance tax elections required **by** Article VIII of S.B. 116, Acts fiLrt Le&elsture, is prescribed in the school 

### sleation

lawsofTitle ,49, Chrapter13, Re19915,88 aaended. Artl**5, 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 amendedby the “Sec,ret Ballot BtLl.” @tie vi,,Qr\a~e,34 S,W.26 616. Poura very truly,
**A'I'TORREY**

WRERAL

OFTE%AS

. Oheotr B. Olli8on t3lb$ra Assistant