OFFICE OF THE AmORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN 

Hon. Rotas 2. Burke, Sr. 

County Attorney 

Golind CountJr +,-.. ,. ,.. _,_- . ,-. 

Dear Slrr 

Your request f 

01) written by 

ur attention to thr 

(I opinion rhloh tides, 

0 not r&e in a aity 

itaB or more amI who 

entg-onr years aubeo1998 and prior to the 

is not required to 

Ion oertifioate to be QUalin euoh eleotion.' 

n an elsotion contest ln this oounty, 

the Dlstriot Judge, Pk. a, I3. Pool rulsb that 

any one who has reaohed the age oi twentyone must hare an exemptIon orrtifloate to 

vote in any eleotlon even though ho beoame 

of a&e subaequcmt to January 31. If 1s my 
Eon. Ross E. Burke, sr., Pam 2 

un3.eretant¶Ingthat the utile zuling htie been 

given by other DietrIot Court& 

Tkm In order to give the peram who 

~111 be Wenty-one after Jsnue 

a ohanoe to aast a leg81 vote, 7 

31, 1940 

would rrgpwoiate your opinion In the mtter amI I will 

advlse the Tax Colleotor aooordl~ly. 

whe popul4tlon of oallad county at the 

laot Pedeml Comma wao 10,095, and hava no 

city of more than S,O"O.w 

Aa w0 uaderstsnd yam Inquiry, you desire to 

know whether or not pereone who wI3.l be twenty-one years 

old after January 31, 1940 am required to have an amption onrtifloats to be Atha to vote in an eleotion 

during the year 1940. 

We quote from the aaee of Clark VFJ. Stuhba, X31 

317 2nd 663, a8 r0imm 

*Appellee ohellsnged the vote8 of Iloll 

Rose ForrIeey, Jeff Eyer, Ullle Gibson 

rpilbur "e~I~:,,~~,~frb~~h~~~:~ 

Bmxl Baxlel, 

&km 

burn, baoause eaoh o'r thom'beeam 21 pars 

of aga after Sanuary, 1858, and prior to Nommber 

8, 193& end under the #~ernl~ etetute, tharefore, they were not entitled to vote without 

an exmption oertlfiaete. Art. 2968a, Vernon*n 

Ann. xva Et., hots of 1935, 44th L82. p. 686, 

Chap. 292; Sea. 1, provide8 thr:t each of the 

votora In queetion was mquirod to ohtn?n an exe-ption oartZtioata bsforc he or ehe would be entit1W! to vota. ?feIther cf thet, obtained euoh 

0 osrtlfleate. The ett:tute Is mm?atory and 

these voters wore not qualliied to Vote at the 

election, ana the trial oourt oorreotly erolucml 

sll of suoh votea. Appellant oontenda, hoommr, 

thr.t oinae tha aaptfcn to Art. 29iWe QM not 

epeniflcally BeflneH,he voter8 to whom the exarspt!Ion 

clause relt?t&d or re-0icrred, thrit 5.t ws~i~ unconstftutlonal. Tiia ff3 en oleotlon content. Tt ie 
Ron. 

tbls 

not a ololl suit, uti the constltutlonollty 

ot thra statute osnnot be attaaised In this 

sort of proaeetllng. 'i'hls oowt hold In 

Trirmler V. Corl.ton, 2664 6. ;:. 253, 2?m, thnt 

~jurisdiotlon In election oonteata la limitad to much mttern as tend to shcw that the 

~~leatian Wgwu~ not properly orderud or Pairly conducted, euoh aa the faf1u.m to &ve 

notloo of the tllas and plaoe wham the eleotion In to ba he18 or tbrtt illegal votes 

were onet fheraaf,, or saw other mntta 

that would Impeaah the fairness of the rearr1t.** 3Qssel 0. &anklin (Tex. cfv. ~pp.1, 

183 6. K. 103) &Glll v. &wIs (33x. CD?. 

App.), 283 S. v;. 328."' 

On Eay 26, lRS0, In ooaferenae opinion Xo. 2980, 

department held: 

'All persons rho reside either In a 

elty of ten thousand Inhabitants or nors 

or who 60 not reside in a olty oi ten thoussnd Inhobltants or mre who baocmm 21 yqara . 

of age alter January Slst and be0ors any 

eleotion In this St:?te is imitiea to vote 

In aair! eleotion p-ovied esid person corn-. 

plies x~ith Artials 2068 and .?069 with refer-. 

enoc tc the obtaining of an sxezzptlon oertitlaote. 

*A parson may mtlolpnte his birthday 

in order to obtain en oxam?ptIon ocrttfluate 

to vote in any eleotlon In this ktate. 

I 

w~~rt:olo 29tlQ la not rapeelcld by tip1 

aatlon by Art:ole 29435(a). 

*A pcr:;on who aesidea In a city of two 

thcumnd inhabitants we who baccizae 21 yenre 

or wgs in April 1933 may vote in the &iLy prIaxtry lnS0 even thou& S&J hem not obtsinad an 

erm~tian certlrlowte prior to February 1, 

1936." 

t'ir, believe that oonfaren~e opinion TO. 2%IsD, 

supra, oorrsotly oonatrues the law relrrtlnq: to the qua%- 

tlon subuittsd in ynur Znquirg rind relctad qwntlnns, and 
_- 

4x2 

ior ycmr convenlenoe m enolose a oopy of this opinion. 

In pien of the Soregoin@ authorities, you are 

respeotfullp advised that it 1s the opinion of this 

department that 811 pemonr who do not reride in a oity 

of ten thounend inhabitants or more and who be~ce~ twentyone ymara of age titer Jenuary 31, 1980, my vote in anp 

elaotion held In thle State provided they oc~ply with the 

term of krtslole 2968a, with reTerenos to obtcrlning oxamption oertifi0ote on or beforo the 3lst day 0r January ln 

thhe year in whloh he deairos to ooto, ngardleao of the 

time when suoh lndivlduelmay beuome twenty-one yearn of 

a@, the only requlsilie beln~that said pernon mut bs 

twenty-one at the tlm he lxeeents hlmmlf at the pm 

to vote, and not otharwlse dirqualltled 80 vote under the 

Constitution and law of thla St&e. 

Trusting that the fore~oi~ answera your inquiry, 

wo mlrin 

Very truly your8 

QTW??iEY GEIWGZ. Of 'FEXAS