4’73 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Eonorable L. Y:. Van08 

County Attorney, Titus County 

Etount r'leaaant, Mxa8 

Dear sir: 0pinlon No. O-6704 

20: L;took law elaotl 

(1) chore two 110 

requerrtlng an el 

event%n~ diftook iron rune Coarainslonern~ 

above 

telegram, we ae 

t the gueatloru atated 

date be answered by 

on July 18, 19451 

! ELECTIOPrS MAY 

EIXCTXOK OFFISEE 

'D POLLO'~~ SmLOcx 

L30 l.mx!l v. ?nYs, z93 

E6~LI PAWE EEA11 A?D POL 

MAY 8E DO?!E XP 

8 for loos1 option stook law eleotionm under 

ate are contained in chaptera 5 and 6 of Title 

Civil Stetutee of' Texae. Artiole 093G and 

in ahepter 5 oonteln the spplioeble law with 

g such eleotione to prohibit tba running st 

large of hogs, nheep or goate, while Artlola 6951 and following 

artiolea ln ohapter 0 relate to euoh prohibition ~6 to hormss, mules, 

jeoke, jennets and cattle. 'r;ith rnferenoe to the first olaealtloutlon, the petition for a oounty-wide eleotion must be 

signed by *fifty irseholderew of the ownty; 88 to tla 
I:onorable L. ~:. Vanoe - page 8 

aeoond, the petition muot be elt-med by "one hundred (lOC) freeholders." For sub-dlvfslono of the oounty 8 different numbe,r 

of petitionera are remlred to Inetitute the elsatl~. 

-p.;ith referwioca to par ilrst question, the oese of 

%ourlook f. G1nffat.e (Tax. Clr. ~pp., EeaunrOat) &a3 8. :zi. ~7, 

oontcina the follow&g statomntr 

*The nourt further found that tl.e eleot!on was 

'50 irreguiar in the .xanmr of holdln(r and oo:rduOtifig 

th@ aaCe na to render the result thereof dlffloult,, 

if not doubtful, of aaoerta?nmnt and that, l ad $5 

end 8hould be decrlered illeRa and roiQ.* Just r&at 

mettera and thi,aga oonnaotad wltr: th, holding of s@fd 

eleatlon the oourt desrwd *lrr*gular ia the ~slmer 

of holding and omduotinp the sane’ we era notodrlaed, 

but YO think it my be fairly implied from his rindlnga OS hot (1) that one set of l leotion otZf.oora 

oonduotad and hali% the two l leotloaa at the eema 

the and plaoa; sad (8) that Only One fora Of ballot 

wae uaad for the two eleOtlon8, ware regarded aa 

irre&arltlea and iarmed the basis of the oourt'a 

hold in& It la l bown that the order ior t& l lmeblon 

appointed the aame person to hold l aoh alootlon, an4 

that two balld)ax~8 wmro provided and awd la rrhioh 

to doposIt the baalOt. The ballota voted fn detertintng whetter hmaas, MAO., and thoao rote6 to determlam whothor ho&a, oto., should ba yermltted to run 

at lsrge, were dag08itea in l eperete box05 - not In 

any mm&or mixad - v*re oo::ntad oaparately, and ylaoed 

in sepcrate return envelopes, am3 saob ddentlfi*d aad 

pointed out ugca t&s twfel. It is not oonhnded thot 

any oo::rr;elon erase in the matter nor is them any 

dfaputi aa to the oorraot tabuladon and report of 

tto vote. me ballot umd, it Is true, wes l5 Iox% 

the ~UKWJ for each eleotion, but the atetuta8, ArtiOLO 

7~18~ greiorlbing the forla of the ballot to be u-d 

in toting to determine whether hogs, ehaep, and e=tS 

should be permitted to run at large, and artlole 7E45, 

preaorlbln~ ths form of the brrllot to be uaed 10 VotinC, 

to dst.intlne whettier or not horses, Rides, Jaoka, j*nneta, 

end cattlb should ba psrm?nitt@d to J‘UD at l,aWe, aaob 

prasoribea that - 

"*Votern deslrinq to prevbst the aaixMfS deei&- 

nated fn the order frum tunnfq kit l,aree ~~11 alto* 

upon thbfr bel]ots the ~~:orba, "For the atook law", 

arid trio e In favor of alLowin@ suoh animals to Pun 

at &are* shall gleoe upon thair bal.:utz the words, 
F?onorsble &. :Y: Canoe - ps~e 3 

wA@ztnst the etook lawrM* 

"The aourt found that thme rorda wre on all 

the ballots. So the ballots aozplied with the 16~. 

The undimputed feats do not su;:port the oourt~a 

holding that from the mmner of holdIn and OODduotlng tha l leotlon tbe result warn dlffloult or 

doubtful of a80ertaInmnt.g 

It will bi noted that the srtiolos or the atetute 

referred to In the oourt*8 oplnlon awry the number or t4a 1911 

reri6ion of the mtetufe; they wre brought forwsrd in the 1925 

revision unohclnged, aa Artiols# 6935 and 595C, Rsriaed Civil 

stetutefl, In the oaae of Lyle8 v. t&yer (Tsr. Cir. App., 38n 

Antonio) 293 S. ‘i;'. 295, the oaurt aaids 

"The pro+isIOaS a8 to preventing ho&s, 6h#p, 

and poets from running at lcr@ are oontafnsd in 

obapter 5, wfiI3e t4oee applyIn& to home8 muleo, 

jaoks, j.nnets, and oettlo we aet forth in ohaptor 

0 of the Stook Law. In most reapeots they oo:.tein 

tha @am reQutiezent8, and In Article 6943 of Chapbm 

5 injury ti treqmralng borres, mules, jonnets, jrcke, 

and oattle arc le~i~latud againat; hog@, sheep and 

&oat8 net boln@ nmotioned. Article 8044 return8 to 

the latter l nlml8. Chapter 5 requlmo a potitlon 

of 2Q freeholdern to obtain an rleotion in 0 subdIrIaIon of 8 oountg *Bile ohapter 0 rOQuIrea bC 

frerholdersi The two obaptera Heie enacted et 

dIi.;erent tiaes. C'e see no reason ubp the two e&otions provided tor oould not be combined 60 as to 

permit the freeholders to exyren8 tbelr desire6 a6 

to all olrseee of @took nrcmtloned In the two chspters.w 

In view of the excerpts above quoted, it Ira our Opinion 

that your first queetitxa should be, an4 It la aaswred in the 

efTlr:mtire. xt t3houia be notad, howmr, th0t In the rirot 

cam afted and caoted the Oourt took aaie to point Out th5t 

there were two sepsrste beliots with ihe bsl:ots on the dl.frerent hsueo huvlne been depomltad in eagereta bO&eo, thus 

;3ekin~ alear and qerbia the result 86 to the two CLi~tInOt 
Hoaarable L. Ii. Vanoe - page 4 

almmtlonr bming held by t5e mmme alaotlon orf~oImla at tbo 

~ma!Ea tilae. Xn your omae, therefore, thoma holdin& the 

eleotionm mhould rxaroIse oar8 to avoid error or Ooniualon. 

NtR raieranma to your l aoond pummtlon the iollowing Is t&an WOE t5e oais ot O-ham v. i&a, 119 ?wx. 

Or. R. 578, 44 8. W. La TS9t 

ìlbr o o lla tr a dtor Iooa h s l tewl$ ua lldeo or n*I68r - 

rtlol'Ibrt* @PILO, R. or 8. 19&s) will sot permit US 

to 8uStaln the oontontioa oi the l tmta that on. publi6Stlon of the nbfloe mat8 tba doman Of the law. 

Xn~aduptlng tlm oonmtruation of tJim jrOdiolS1 rarm4anta 

te uhiuh r~feeou6 ha8 beeli amae,, I$ Bust be g ild Plmt 

the qaaing of t&o &abrrW 18 that She aotlae 8hall be 

pubiiab4 awing et lmt ~tblrty dayr before th8 ait 

or d80,ti0a. st8tbd In r.uliro~nt way, th4 not188 

ia ehereroJ~~~~?y~~ olrcn#dlkUW 

quamtlon, theti publlomtlon ii l wbekll pqar'lm l utf iFP-~ o on , 

prorIde the same Is ountlnwd Sor the nqulrad laagth OS 

tiPI. Artioloa 6984 and 6969 Oi thS-,RSviSOd (lilt1 SktUka 

praaarlk. thi taraS end oonb~tlonr,ot publioStlon no~aamary, 

a nd are l ubatmatimlly In the hImntims1 lmn@~S@. The holding 

or the oourt In trio ou~~&qomn thermtorb anlwta your 

qlleatIon. 

Trumtlng thet the l bve la mmtImtaotory, we l ra