OFFICE OF THE ATIORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Ronorsba* rohn 8. 8hook 

Crlmiml’Dt8triot Attom~ 

Sal Antoao, Taxa8 _ 

rm8r 8iri 

ab8ontoa VOW8 

uhloh voting 

08 h8~0 b0.a aa0ptOa 

otltw ha8 h@rOtOiOra boon followed or 

0 p~~8i4hg Orrt0Or in l 8Oh g8-eoin0t 

on the maohinr the rot. aa shown by the 

o&s, bet-on tha hours of two and three 

o'olook as~poovldod br law. xt i8 our oplnlon that 

those rote8 should bo oountad and tabulated a8 the 

otatut* ProvMao." 

Absentee Voting ia a OOWtty where Voting maOhinO8 

ara adopted for use ia oontrolled by Sootion 7 of Artiolm 
Honorable Joha R. Shook, Page 3 

89978, Revi8ed awl 3tatute8 0r Texae (arr emended, Aats 

1937, 46th Lee., 3u.d 0. S., p. 1933, Ch. 6.9, 8 31 AQta 

1939, 46th Leg., P. 301, 9 it).' 

Thfr statute aqnmm8 the authority oharged with 

holding en l leotion, in WmUtfO8 In whloh voting mohiner ale 

‘adopt*6 ror U80, to detenlne by proper re8olution and/or 

order whothar or not voting meahlnes &all be ured rot the 

oa8ting a? 8brentiea vote8. It mEa8 in part a8 rOiiOW8: 

i6ootloa 9. "Absentee Voting. -- fn OOUllti68 

in whloh voting luiOhflr8 are adopted ror UOO, the 

etathority ohaxged with holding enbleatidn ahall 

wlthlm itB bt8OXebiOit aeterldno by proper rewlution eeQ/or 03tdu: whsther or not voting ~aohin~r 

8hfiu be UHd iOr the -8tiw Of abeetee vote8 et 

moh eleotlon. . . ." 

Ii it i8 determlned that the oaatlng of eb8entee 

VOtb8 #ha11 be by the II80 Or VotiIl&~Ohior,8, the tabulation 

Or eUOh V&68 i8 001~~O~iOd by the i6kloriUg prOviSiOu8 Oi 

the 8t8tut.s 

. and if it be deterplinrd by rruoh author; 

ity t&*vothlg maahine8 rhall be used for the oast- 

-1ng of abrrotee VOtO8 at suoh eleotlon, a voting 

B~ohine Or~BaOhine8 8h611 be plaoed in the Comty 

Clerk's ofrim, li an eleatlon held at the l XpanSO 

0r the oauntJ', or ir a primary eleotion, and if a 

city or town eleatlon in tha orrio 0r the city or 

town 8eoret8ry end ir a sohool distriot or other 

eleotion, In a publio plaoe deelgnatod within tho 

bounderie Oi 8UOh dirtriot or eleotion, with the 

ballot ot the l leotlon thereon as required by law 

and thO8e entitled under the law, ahall oest their 

vote on ruoh maohlne or luOhiue8 a8 the 0880 may be, 

under the 18~8 n6t applloable to abesntse votfngl 

l xoept that the maohlne or maohlnea ehell be sealed 

et the 0108e or the dW8 voting In the prosenoe or 

authorloed watohlrn, Of all pormps interested, if 

any, and auoh seal ah811 he brow in the presence ot 

suoh authorlzsd mtohere, lr any, tho followin morning when votisg shall begin by the pernon authorized 

by lew and Oherged aa ~tha euthorlty holding such eleo- 
Honorable John B. Shook, Peg8 3 

tion. when abaantee voting la legally txmoluded 

at IIE l laotfon or primary eleotion, auoh rotlag 

meohiner ahell be loaLe end aeelad In the mmar 

pre8oribed for preolnota, to ba kapt inteot until 

7 A.M. at the de 

tion, at whIoh t 3 

of the obotion or prinary eleone the mechine or meohiner ahell 

be opened and the~vote OaW6886d by the Xleotion 

Board holdine euoh eleotion ea provide& by law, and 

If a prlmary eleotlon, by the Chairmen and the Ereoutile 8ooreter~ of the ISxeoutlve Committee oi the 

pollbloel party holding 89116, urb tha reoultr of 8uoh 

ouiva88 rhell be returned by 868llng end bellvertng 

MY to the proper euthorlty a8 provlded’by lew and 

auoh remlt8 end/or return8 ah@11 be tabulated and 

qa~88rad ln the so me manner l na ~to (ethewitr h the 

tkbuletion end oenreaaing Of the r8turM t?oP other 

rot14 preoinot8; however, Rrorlded that the reault8 

of 8UOh 6b86nt88 vote8 ahell not be 8nSouBoed OP 

made jiublio until eftar 7 P.M. 0r the d87 0r the aleotion, or primary eliotion, when auoh reatit8 8h8u ba 

asnouaoed and made publlo together +lth tha genaral 

remltrr of the elaotlon by proolemetion 02 usie 88 

pro?ided by law. upon suoh maohtna.~and/or MOhill88 

in use ror absantae voting bolng opanad end the v&e 

oanvaPaed, the came 8hall be lame&Uately pr8parad end 

8et ror voting as provided by law and ah11 be U8ed. 

ii neoe88ery, in any voting plpeoinot of raid aleotlon 

or prImmy eleotlon, then bafng held. . . .* 

U, however, the euthorrity oherged with holding an 

aleotion ahall progerlp determine tlmt absentee rotas ah611 be 

oeat by a mpar ballot, the Oountlng of auoh vote8 la oontrolled 

by the r0ii0ting provlrlooa 0r the 8tetuter 

*should the authority oharged with holding en 

l leotlon determine by auoh re8olutlon a8 above provfdad, that absentee votea oaat~et ruoh l leotlon be 

paper bellot then end In auoh event the 

,"%oxtF charged with iold& auoh eleotion ahah provide a ballot ror the oacltln& or ebaenteo voter a8 

pre8arrfbed sad 

B 

rovlaed b the 

to abaen t ee vo & 

mar81 law8 epplloeble 

to alectIone9eu lug and those entitled 

under tho law ahell cast their vote by auoh ballot under 

the laws appllcebls to absentee votillpt, govIdIn8, how- 
Honomble W&n R. iihook, m$e 4 

ever, that on the Bay 0r suoh oleotlon ax&Q in the 

pfe8enormoi the eleatlon otfloerr one of the judge8 

Of l leOtlOn 8hall, betwoanthe hours or E p.m. and 

b p.m. open the carrier envelope only a8 provided 

br the law8 l pplioeble to abaoatee votiag, macipnce 

aeoh end every one oi the @lootera* name8 and oampare 

the 8%@SatUra upon the l pplloation with the $natre 

upon the 6?tldavlt on the ballot envelope. 

the l lrotioa judge8 @ad the errldav~ta dul7 l x8outed, 

that the l pplloent Is a duly qU8lifiOd l lb o tor or the 

pr@Oinot and that he h68 not voted in parwn et ,#a%d 

tiaotion, they 8ha11 open the envelope wntai.nlng the 

l leotor*8 ballot In 8uoh manner es not to deieee or 

drlrtroy the erridavit thereon, take out the ballot 

thereia oontainsd in the preaeaoe of the watohare, it 

8ny, aithout parnittlng mime to be unfo d8d or l 8minmob l b8ent~o ballot ah611 theraup b bo l ndmaed 

g*tlke preridlqg orrioer or 8uoh votiry'~prioinot in 

auah l leotion end depo8ited In en ‘Abaaattie Ballot Box*, 

juovid~ r0r auoh purpose and the am* 0r e8oh alaotor 

Voting 8Wh ab8OdOO ballot shall be en%ered in t km poll 

list and numbered th8 8-6 a8 it ha had been prewnt 

and voted in person a8 8uoh 6baontea ballot8 are depoalted in tieid absentee ballot box. Artor all suoh ob- 

#onto@ ballot8 have bean depoaltrd in ruoh ebauntee 

ballot box, the orriaer8 or auoh oleotlon 8h8l.l de8ignet@ 8uoh of their number 88 will not Interfere wkth 

tho oninterrupted u8e or voting maohim by the voter8 

during 8ald eleotlon, to thereupon imunedIat@ly prooar@ 

to opon 8UOh abaantee ballot box, oount and/or tally 

l uoh ab8mlteo ballote, and return the 0enve8a therroi 

together with tha oenvaaa and returns of the voter 

oaat on voting maohiaea~.and on tho lorma 68 ~ovlded 

by law. suoh tally end/or oount of auoh aboeuta@ ballot8 

shall be oompleted land be aval&bla for the makin@ of 

:;;~~mettha time or the oloaIn$ of the polls at auoh 

. . . .* 

??a oonatrue your letter a8 eoaklng the oplnlon of thi8 

~pertmant upon the .0poirl0 que8tion.or whethereb8entee vote8 

imsr be lndioeted on a voting nurohlne wbm absentee ootiEg by 

pepor ballot has been properly authorized. 

In 8UOh situation the statute dOa uot, In our op%nIon, authorize the uee ot voting maohIlw8. 
. 

Eonarable John R. Bhook, Page b 

xt is 0 ve6 that the e tatute proiidm, after the 

abmntee vote8 ha ooa Qepoeited in an vabaentee ballot box*, 

that *the offlosrs o? suoh bleation ahall deiegmte euoh of 

their nwaber as 1111 not interfere wlth,tho uninterrupted use 

or voting maohiner by the ootere during baia l leotion, to 

thereupon, lsmediatoly iPm%M to open euoh abmntee ballot 

bm. oount and/or tally auah absentee vote& and return the 

aanvaee therea? together w%th the eanvaee a&d retura of the 

votem oast on .votlng, maohlnes and on the f anam es protlded by 

6 h t lly and/or ocun~3,of l uoh abeentee b 11 t hall 

6?ioanp&mlaand~ be evailable lor’ the making of rtt.dni~ Xt tlm 

time or the olosfhg or the poll8 et such eleotlon.* (mphad~ 

oura. ) 

Theeb provlsionr of the atatute contemplate the oouut1ng of abwntee votea when east by a paper ballot, eeparata 

aad apart rrom the ta~ulatlon. oi the votes oart on voting machines 011 elootion day, the2 such tabulation shell be prerrented 

on iormo a8 provided by law, end that It ohall be evallsble alrd 

oompleted at the time or the eloeiug of the poll8 at euoh eleotion. 

The statutory’ direction thet *the orriorre or $.Jh 

l leotion ahall deeighato euoh or, their number as aill not interrere with the uninterrupted use ot votlng maohiner by.the 

voter8 during raid eleotlon* is, it Sr believed, merely a requireuent that the personnel oZ the oriloere holding the &SOtloa shall not be reduced to the point of Snterferenoe dth 

the .uulnterrupted use or voting maohinea by the votere on the 

day of the eleotion. by reason of the absenoe of those engaged 

in oounting the absentee votes. lt 16 the personnel or the eleotlon orfloere that shall not be reduosd to suoh point rather 

then the uunber of voting neohlnes available to the voters, and 

therefore does not lndloate a legislative ~requirement that the 

voting naohines are to be used in the tabulation or ebaentee 

voter when suoh votes were caet by a paper ballot. . 

Aooordingly, you ore reeimotrullp advised that it is 

the oplnlon of this De artment that votiog maohinee may not be 

used in the oount I%3 0 

$ p 

absentee votes cast by paper ballots is 

oountlso where vo ing machines are adopted for u%e, when, PUSeuant to Seotlon 7 of .%rtlole %997a, as emended, the euthorlty 

cherged with holdi~hg, the election has deterrnihed that absentee 
870 

Honorablr John R. Shook, Page 6 

Totem at auoh l leotioa aball, be oaat bJi a paper ballot. 

The oountlng and oanvaaa thereof aust be separate and apart 

rrca mat 0r the votes oast on eleotion day by the ui3e of 

the v&&n& maohfnas, and in the mennet provfded for in the 

statute rnd tlIae~saa)(I herd&above. 

Your8 very truly 

ATTORNBY W3XFiAL OF TiCXAS 

APPROVEDOCT 10, 1940 

xL---+u~---J 

ATTORNEY GENEX3AL OF TEXAS