_.. 

,921 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

Honorable k!. 0. Flowerr 

Seoret8ry of Stata 

Austin, Taxer 

Dear Sll-1 Attentionr 

8194 - 

atian or 

w 

cl. 3088, 

iv11 stml 06, 1986, 

to tabulation o? l lee111~ by tb Soaratary 

June ll,lWO, 

l IJ to the pro 

or your let&or of 

r thlr eepmrt?aent 

eetlon r*turn8 in 

18 8088, Revised 

State, in tha pra rem* of 

ruy General, or either or 

nday in l0temb.x next dtu 

opan all the eleotion return* 

and .oormatly add up au the 

e revere1 o~untlee fog eaoh of 

ore, and Emmy the re8tM thoseof, 

amee of theme aleoted, to bo publfehed 

in l me nerrpapar printed at Aurrtin, 

and &all imuo oertiflaates of eleotlon to the 

persons bo eleoted.* 

In this ecrrmeation you point out tb6tr 

911~ tam8 notice8 tbt thors are only 

three Motday* in ~1Jorember afkr 6be genera1 

elaotlo~ on November 8. The ioqth MoM@Y in 
92: 

.Hon~or&ble II. C. Flowers, Page 2 

Kovambar la November ES and the fourth &?on&8y 

8fter the general ele0tlon is December 2. Fe 

feel that in 811 probebilitp the leglsletwa 

intended thfs dsta to be the fourth Sonday iA 

Norember, howaver, the ewkerd poeition or the 

word8 arastes oo~s1derrabl.a aoniusioA.~ 

Artioles 2930, 3079 and 3086, Vernon'8 Annotated 

Clrll. Statutes, read aa follows: 

"Art. 2930. A general eleatlon shall be held 

on the tire Tuuseday erter the rfrat xond.2~ fn 

Nov(IIpber, A.D. 1926, end avery two yams thereafter, 

at such p16aee 88 JIMXY be proeorl~asd by Law, arbr 

notioe 80 prescribed bg Law. Speoltl elections 

ebsll be held et suah times ud plaoea ea my 

be rlrtd b!f Law providing thtreror. In all eltttlons, gamrel, eptolel, or primary, the polla 

ehall be open from aeven o'aloak k&Y. to seven 

o'oloak P.M. in all aountlee fvrrlng a population 

of 150,000 or more eaaordlng tc tha last Federal 

otneua ar.d in 811 other oountlee the polle 8hal.l 

be opened at 8 A.M. and almll rtaaln open until 

7 P.M. 

only." 

The tleotlbn ahall bt held for one day 

"Art. 3079. On the TUaed8y after the rlret 

Monday in Norembar, A.D. 1932, end on the Tuteday 

~8x3 erter the first ?&mAey in kYoreaber, every lour 

ytart theretdttr, or et auoli other tlmes,:ae the 

Congreta or tha Unit04 Jtetae nay dirtat, there 

shall be tleated by tba voter8 of :the 3x&4; 81 

many alsatars for Prt8168nt and Vice-Freaih@t at 

t&a United States aa tha Sate of Terse may et that 

tfme be entitled to elect, no one or whom shell 

bt a person holding the offiae of Zemtcw or Btgresentativt in COngreea, or enp orriot Or true) or 

profit under the Unit4 States.'4 

*Art. 3086. &I electfan for the eleotlon OS 

s Zenator rr08 Texea to the Congress or tha United 

States shell be held on the flrst Tuesday aitar~ 

tha rirst Monday in Morembar of every year lmmedlately pr,roedlng the fourth day or M8reh WhtA the tePm 

0r tnp uAited mister, %nrtor iron tbs 3tete or Paam 

to thr Corrgrese or tba United Statea 18 to explra+ . 

At suoh tle6tion no pt%wOA ahall be @411fiO,Q ta 

rote r0r eny oandidatt ror Unitsed Stetto SenetoP 
Banorfibla Z. C. Ploware, Zags 3 

u~lese he is a quo1 Ii10 d elector in any election 

held to elect mtstbers of the most numerout brenoh 

or the Legielature of thl8 Etato.*’ 

In construing 8 statute the contideret:on of prImery laiportenoe is the intention of the Leglsleture. KOP 

V8. Sobwider, 110 Tex. 369, 218 S.?:. 479, rehearing denied, 

221 3.X. 880; Sarnte vs. Stats, 75 Tex. Grim. Rep. 10~8, 

170 3.F. 548, L.R.A. 19150, 101. The Lengueca employed 

by tht Legislature must not :ie overlooked. It 18 presumed 

to have betA selected with dtllberetlon. Faith VII. Ttree 

Company (Corn. kpp.) 53 9.K. (2d) 774. 

Applying theta principle 8, lt la clear that the 

Lagleleturt intended that the rieorttery of State perform 

the duties ttt forth in Hrt. 3003 in the month of November. 

The statute provides thet be shell non tha rourth Monday 

in Hov.ember next arts- meld eleotloa” proceed to tebulete 

the return*. It it also clear from Articles 2930, 3079 cad 

3086 thet the general election will always fell on the first 

Tuesday ertar tke first Eonday In November. If Article 3089 

be construed to mean that four bCondeys must alepee arter the 

elaotlon bsrora the Secretary or %ete ehell tebulete the 

returnt then that orricer aen never act In the month 0r Noramber es Article 3083 dlraots. It follows that tha phreee 

non the rourth Zlonday In Eovember next miter said tleotlon* 

mmne the same me if the &gleleture had said *the fourth 

k&n&my in Uovamber next euaoeeding the date .or said eleotiOA' or “the fourth Eonday in November in the year of meld 

general tlaatlon*. 

It 1s therefore the opinion or thle depertmant 

end you are reepeotfully edvlrrta tbt Novtmbar 28. 1940, 

la t&e proper 

tbt tleotlon 

Artio1t 3003, 

date for the Seorttery of Met8 to ~ebuletk 

returns In eocordenca with the provlslone oi 

Vernon’s Annotated Clvll Statutes. 

Yours very truly 

ATTO~Y GEIERAL OF TXAS 

BY 57f&tJR4a, 

#alter p.. Rosh