OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Xoaol\blo Arnold Smith 

CourA~ Artorno~ 

xontgomery aount~ 

Conroo, Tuar 

Dear air1 

, addnsrwl to the 

Quootloxl8 for an 

make any &lffsreIlor in regard 

osltloa uhether tha Dlstrlat 

d or var dnft.6 into the Nilitaly 

“4. Cm thm Dlrtriot Clerk plaoa hlr we 

upon the ballot for election won though ho 18 in 

lllltb~ Servloo l d ii DO, 18 it neossr4rf tbbt 

ho k prermIt In Juluary OS nut par to talc. the 

0dh 0r 0ff100t~ 

J 
Honorable Arnold Smith, Pago 2 

ArtIolo 169L Vornoa’o hnototrd Civil Statutes, 

pro~VIUo8 ior th8 elootion rt oooh 6onbrol rlootIOn 0t a 

Clark or the Dlotrlot Court or oaoh oounty for l term 0r 

two rboro. 

Artlele 1695, Rarfoed Civil strtutoo, proiIdo8; 

Who noror l r a o o no y ooo uro In th s o tfloo 

of dirtriot oldrk, lt shall be rlllod by the 

dlrtrlot judge or l uoh oountyI and ouoh 8 

shall 61~0 bond on4 qurllfy and may hold 1 

pointer 

I8 

otfleo until the next g4noral l lea tlo n. Whore 

I taomr~ ooouro In 0 oounty having tuo or mors 

biotriot oourto, tho iroono~ shall be flllod by 

the JuQoo of l uah oo;lrto; and Ii ther toil to 

ogrro, tho Oorornor, upon the oertItIooto oi 

l uoh ju&oo, ohall order 8 opooIol l lootlon to 

iill ouoh va0anPOy. 

Art1010 1696, Vornon’o Annotot8d Girl1 Gt6tute0, 

reads t 

“The dIotrIct clerk may, In writing, UC+ 

dor his hand and thtr oeol of hi8 oourt, l ppoint one or more deputloo. The oppointmont 

8hall bo rooordrd in the Octloe 0t the oounty 

olsrk. 3uoh deputlro shall toko the ofrlolal 

oath, and 8hrl.l rot In tha mm8 of their prlnoipal, on4 rnor bo and perform all 8Uoh ortiolol 

was so mar be lowrully donr and prtoraad by 

l uoh rlotk In person. If the olerk doer not 

reside rt the oounty aeat ho oh811 hove a deputy 

rooidlng than.’ 

Tho l uthorltloo oitoa In our oplnlon O-%46, o oopy 

of whloh lo horrto l ttaohod, would appear to oontrol the queotion ot rooonog on& I8 oppllooblr to the dlotrlct olark of 

your oountg. Until B vaoanog I8 8otablIohad, both the dlotrlot olork and hi8 ohioi deputy are ontItle to tholr salary. 

We a lso l nolow oopIos ot opIdon8 O-3060 and O-&65. The 

latter hold8 tbrt . oountg rttornoy rho voluntarily joIar4 

tho IntollI6moo Corp. OS the United State. Army woo not prohibited tram &rrwl~@ his oolory LO long aa then IO no Voo.onoy In the ottloo. In opinion O-3060, this drprrtaent ruled 
Honorable Arnold Smith, Pago 3 

that on induotion in the United stats0 Amy as a draftee 

does not *root* 0 vaoanoy. The SongoIng opinions are 

rppllooblo to the 0tt10. or DlOtrIOt Clerk. 

In *nowor to your quootIono 1, 2, and 3, It is 

the oplnloo of this dapartdwnt that no rooanog 10 oreated 

where a dirtriot clerk, without rsolgnln8, rolunteoro or IO 

drattr~ Into tha milltory oartlor o? thr units4 States, nor 

is he prohib:ted from drawing hf. calarr rroa thr orrioOr*o 

solory Pm&. A Ilrputr appoint04 and qualltlod under Mtloloo 1690 and 3902, Vsrnon’o Annotated Civil Statutes, 

any. perform tho auti00 ot thot 0rri00. 

Rmlotlto to your fourth quootlon, ooma apparently 

oontemplater military oerrIro without the Stats. In our 

oplnien O-4591, aI80 l nolooed, this do 

oognty attornry uhq beoama on otrlorr Ei 

rtment hold that a 

tha UnIted stat.8 

xanl Reorrte raa not prohibltod fma plaoIn& his name on 

the ballot ?or naleotIOd nor ?roB taking tho oath O? Ortiw. 

Artlolo 5697, i3erlood Civil Statutes provides: 

“saoh dlotrlot olrrk, before antering 

upon his of?IoIal duties, shall give bond, to 

bo approved by the GonuiiooIonsro oourt OS the 

oounty, pryoblo to tha Governor, in the sum of 

tire thousand dolloro, oon4ltIoned tor the roithtul dloohargo of thr dutioo ot hi. ottloa, and 

shall l Aro take a nd l uboorIbo the of?IoIal oath 

whlob shall bo Indoroad u on tho bond. suah 

bond &.a4 oath shall be tI P 04 and raoorda4 in 

the oitioo o? the oountr olerk.” 

Artlola 16 ot said l tatutoo, provides: 

*iaoh ottloor In this Stoco, whethar oleoted 

or l ppoIntoa shall, before anterlrg upon tho 

autlra o? hia offloo, tOk0 aa4::auboorlbr tha 

oath prooorIbe4 by Artlolo 16, saotlon 1, o? tho 

Qonotltotlon or this state; ena ii ho @hall be 

roqulred by ion to aira on ottiolal bond, ~814 

oath ohall bo riled with said bond.” 
Xononbla Arnold tilth, ?aga 4 

mi0i0 ti 0s UI~ l ktut.00, ~F~VI~OI 

"All oath., . . . . a&r k rdmlnlotorud 

~0d l 00rtifiOa4 or th0 hot ~1~00: 

‘1. . . , , 

“a. IrWhoutwo3ktoaadvIthb 

thb uidkd bkt00, bbr0n w 0x0* 0s l 00w 

or noord hovia~ a l ebl, amy nokm pub110 or 

w ~omiooloner 0s doodo duly l 

the lm or thlo state noidIxq vi pe hla sow othor 

old*& w&or 

8kte or krrltoq. 

“3. xi without the unltod Uktoo, kr0tu 

any notar Qublle, or any mlaloter, caaaloolatmr 

or ohw e d l rr~lno of tb United 8tatao, aw 

01dant & a nd l 00r o dIto teta he o o unt~ vhen 

tb l Sfld&vlt ur b0 kkoa, or uq b0a8d geluml, 

oonoul, tlob-maoul, oaamlw~l agent, *loo-oaurolal l pnt, doputT oonoul, or oonoular l gmt 

0s thb Vnitod Itstoo, rooldmt ln l ucth oountry. 

‘4. 

%o 

u&or of oay board or omlooIon 

ormted Q law of this 8tatb, in utter 

pert8lnIag to the dutloo thereof, ma7 l dmlalotor 

oaths or brfiruti0n0.” 

lar~0mg OUT r0wh qu00ti0a, it IO tb 0pini0n 

or this dapartmnt t I;. t ouoh diatriot elork so quallflod and 

sitwtod a0 in our aaowr to tha rim three quo0tiono sub 

mltkd, WJ mum his wo to k plaood en the ballot for rel lootlon ad lf l 1oot.d mar tab tha oath rlthout the Stat. 

kr0n any wthorioed parson named ln Artlole 2?6, Xevlood 

ai~ii at0tuk0 0s 50~80.