OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

: I 

: 

X6 are plaascld to 

ea tho~abovo ptaea- 

.&atatel and aathSahool Dirtrlo 

" . protibed that W~sn one or more eoaaon s&mol 

CiatrlZ are 80 annexed to a aom aoh distrlot haoing Pour hundre6 or I+~YB rmholaatio population, 88 the 
E 

;:cz. i . Jlelnedy, April 26, 1939, Page 2 

cnse rsy be, 8 bosrd,.of trueteea shall be elected from 

tkr. dlntrict ot large and shtill have the tocafesent and 

ccctrol of the district es enlarged until the time for the 

next election and ~uallflc~tlona of trustees for comn 

and independent districts, ES provided by General law." 

hrticle 2922c, hevlatwl Civil Ztatutea, hcta 1927, 40th 

w&islature, 1st Ceiled tession, p. 206, Ch. 78, Sac. 3, provldes 

in part: 

"The aontrol and makgement ot the aohoola of a rural 

high school dlatrlot, aatabllahed under tha protiaioni 

of this Aat. shall ba raatad in a board of aann trcutws. 

dlst~lota, axeept a6 ti be otharvlaa provldad hanin; 

and proridpd that auoh,alamn~ dlatriot l.nalmda&in auah 

rural hi&i 8ahooXdirtriat must 'be the remldeaoo of at 

laqt one ,saamho*-'dg aaid hawU. uy rawnay ahall 2~ rius4 

tor~.kha uaarplrad taxm by appolatwnt by tba oowty boarll 

of tmateea. Protidml that for a rural hleh aohoal tU8triot 

formad with mora than ona humdrad ~a~uare milea or urritoq 

or aontainiag 1ora than save8 alslpentary dlatriata,mI pzv-' 

pi&ad in this Aat, the-board of txmstaea aa harsla rmmlded 

r0r. shall be a1aataa from the d%atrlot at Aar#...-&iu?~ 

WY rum1 huh ha01 ai t i t r il to edwt a tm8tM or 

trustee8 aa pro%le4 Sorain &la"~t , the wuaty board oi 

traataaa ahall appoint aald tmataa .or tmataoBra 

It is clear that pursuant to tha undo~$lnad paaaqa8 of 

tha abave akttitaa, tha truataoa of tha Pattua, mata, lommana 

.Rural Eugh Sahool Diatrlat 8hauld be alaatad rmt tha dlatrlat at 

laqa, ainoa it contains aum thaq 100 8~uara tiles. For tha 

mwaer of edeating there trtlateaand tha'ti88 &OTOX%irpe aalps,' 

ArtJo 2922a (aupra) dlraata that they "8baW be sbateb an& 

8e)pla la aooorbanoe with tha provia,icma of Qansral La relatlta to 

oQmEon aahool aistriota.- Ba are tharaby referred to Artlolaa 

%X4:5 (kota UOS, P. 26s. as amanded, Aots 1929, 4lat leg. 2nd 

C. 6. p. 3, Ch. Z), 2746 (AS aarendad Aata 1937, 13th La&. p* 472, 

Ch. 2S7, Sea. 1) aad 2946a (a8 aaandad, Aats 1935. 44th Lag., p* 

195, ch. 65, Sec. Z), 

The only provlalon In any 41 aafd thrae artdoles whlah 

relates to the posting of notiae of a trustee elaotlolr ia fhtPS01- 

lowing from Artfule 2946: 
"A:0 tocrd cf trustees, rten orderice aucb election 

md app-lnting p~:rsor.s 25 bold election, ~!:a11 give notice 

of the t:.-e and place v&me such electioo will be held, 

v;~Ach notice s&all be posted at three (3) public pieces 

v;$t!:lu the district at lea,st turmty (20) days prior to 

the date of holdlne said election.* 

:Inaer the above cited statutes, a0 are as yet without express direction as to tke effect of an lrre@ar notice of election, 

stich as here isvolved, upon the val:dlty of the trustee eloctlon 

held t:;ereuyon. 

The pw8ti0n 0r tha +aildity 0r 1111 eieatlon 0r trtm+008 

br a G-n sohool dlstrlot In which election there were oertain 

irregtdaritloe MB oonslderad by the Austin Court or Cirll Appeals 

in SGherz f. Telrer (1954], 94 8. By. (24) 329. Rs quote, at 

lGngth, rmm the opinion in thatcase: 

*The auuumr and rsthct6 0r hold& 618otlcru ror 

oowion sohwl trorrt~aa are provided by artlolaa~~W#,~ 

2946, and Z944a, 8. 8. 1986, aa amended. See Veniw*a 

Annotated Taxaa Statutea as l npplamanted. It Is the eontantion of appellaut that these statutes, lnoludad under 

the title "Public EAuoation,a oontrol suoh sleotlwa 

entirely, and that such slaatlons ars not subJ*ot to tha 

prorisions 0r the Terrall Hleotion xaw as embadIa6 in 

title 60, Ra~lsed Statutea; that suoh alaotIoM'undar 

artloles 8945 6946, and 2946a are in tha natpro or 

apeolal alaotiona, and are oontrollad antiraly by said 

artioles; that the provisions or artsolss SO08 and 5Ol8, 

whloh raqulra the algrratura of the sleotion Jad8~ On 

the ballot, do not apply; and that the ralltue or tha 

ballots to hare 8uGh lndoraament doa not render the oleotion void. 81th this eontantlm uG oannot agraa. 

*Artlola Z9Z6, beIn& tha iirst artlole or tltla 

50, provldGs: *The prov%sions oi this title shall apply 

to all elsotions held in this State, eraept as o$harrise pro~lded heraln.l 

"Be find nothing in the statute expressly ~x~ludlug ircm tbe protlslons of the election laws the sleotion or 0-n soho t~stees. ~hr, eleotion or ewh 

truotees is, of ooursaj+undoubtadly Gontrolled by the 

provlalona of artioles 8946, X3746, and 8946a In all 

utter8 and things GorGred by the provIelons of eaid 

not apply to apwial eleotions, auoh aa eleatlons ror 
Eon. 0. Kennedy, April 26, 1939, Page 4 

the rernovol of the coun%y seat, stock laws, local option laHS, consolidation of school districts, votirg 

districL bond8, or levying a loch1 tax, we think tl.e 

election here involved does not corn cnder that classlfjcatlon. ;.fiilams v. Eamond (Pex.Civ.App.) 276 :. I.. 

304; ChedmAt v. .-ells (Tex.Civ.kpp.) 278 L. i.. 465; 

L!iller f. Corree, 118 Yex. 381, 15 S. :;. (Ma) 1036. 

Zuch elections as above enumerated are clearly local 

:n character. of inrreguent occurrence, apply only to a 

given locality, are usually final, the matters voted 

upan disposed of at a alzqle election, and are not 

reourrlng ln oharaoter. viallie v. a1111ema 101 Tex. 

995, 108 S. k. l.83. In the latter aaee, Chief Juatloe 

Caine8 olearly datinea the diatinatlw batraen apeolal 

electiona and a general oleotlou, and a rersrenoe 

therato will render uuuaoeaaamr dlrouaalon or such 

dlatlnotlw here. Ee think the eleotlon or oosaum 

aohool trustee8 does not oonatitute a apeoial eleotlon 

atit with lo the above dwlalons. YUOh elootion 18 

not oonr1nad to any given lo alit f nor to say glean 

individual. nor to any llaiitiid olaia or lndlvlduala. 

On the con&ax-y, art&lea 2946, 2946, and Si946a ralata 

to all uonmon aohool dlatrlcta throughout the at&a, and 

to the tleotlon or the truateea .thereor, pmvlda ror 

such eleoticn aaoh year thrcugbout the stata, and are 

tharerore aaacntlally gcaara2 in their applioation. 

It la no1 settled that.a mhwl trustee la a oguaty 

oHiOor,' required to t8ke the oonatitutiunal oath, a&d 

that a oonteat or his alaotlan ia rarmable to the 

ganaral. lnw. Fowler v. Thomas (Tex.Clr.~pp.) Z9q S. Ur 

W, and Gaaeta there alted.- 

i%J must thsrerore look to the a ta tuto a ~gl o r leotlona a na l

gsnarally, sonetimea referred to aa tha Termll Zleotlon ku, bqm 

am Inwrporated, aa amended in Tltlc 60, Article EQBS at 6aq. 

or the Revised Clrll Statutea, ln order to find the n&a, which 

have not elaeuhera been eat out, applying to el~otlons of truateea 

of rural high aobwl dletrlota. 

Artials 2949, Revlaad Cirll Statutea, 19ZS. reads: 

"A failure rrom any..eauae, on the part of the Governor, 

or tha county judge orhwlaalonera* aourt, or oi both, 

to order or &its not108 or any general eleotion shall not 

invalidate the aaae ii otherwise 16(&al and regular.a 
I 3.83 

m 

'Yhe Ccx~iesi3n of ,Ipp~~sls of 'Zcxrs 11; Co::ntz v. iichell 

(1931). 36 2. . (2d) 770, in'o58wcr to certi:‘ied quastioss rr0E 

t:.c court cr Clrfl Agprals G: ~Cslvetxtcn in holdI~:;F the n.:tlce of 

uiactic:. L::rre under ccssjderatlon velid, said: 

"Xn electlon field at tbe tir,e md place fixed by 

lar 1s vs3ld even thcueh nc orddr cr cell has been issced 

tterefsr, 08 the light, to hold such an clectlnn is derived fros the iew azd not from, tiny notice. C. J. Vol. 

2C, % 79, p. 96. 

“A failure to give notice of such an election doer 

not rander the 8ame nqatory, as every person 18 required 

to take notioe of what the statute presorlbea: People v. 

Cowles, 15 H. 1. X50; People vi Ifartwell, X2 Eloh. boB, SO 

Am. DOO. 90. lilda V. Wth, 10 Iowa 2l2; ,State f. 

Onle, 20 &oi 2SS; Ueohem on Pub110 Officer6 i 194; 

B. c. I.. Vol. 9, mi." 

. 

The oourt then went tin to point out (uhloh lm not ~atarlal 

ror the deterrainatlon of our queetlon, but oalls attmtlon'to the 

dirr8rent rule In map~lalm au4 *generalw eleotloti)~ .~ 

"But where the eleatlon 1s a speolal. and, to be 

oalled and.~the time and plaoe flxsd~by aope authorlty,~ 

it la eaeentlal~to the valldfty thereor that it be ~oallod 

or ordered br the wry authority designated by &r uad no 

other.* 

In I.uwls v. Stanton Independent Sohool DlHrgot, 294 S. 

I. 80, the El Pa60 Court of Cltil ApPMb held that iallure~to 

po8t distant siarkar8 around the polls did not lovalldate a 8ahool 

bond elaotlon, there having beon no electioneer 

IT* 

bMauM 

,-the rallure to post the mim la a mere Irregular ty whleh did 

&t ktiect the remit, and does not lnvalldata tha.ebetloa,a 

In WllUaka f. Glower; 2S9 S. VJ. 989, whenia the Waoo 

-Jlou.rt or Cl.vll -1s affirmed the ralldlty of~ari election ror 

iaereaee of a school Qlstrlet tax, maid: 

"The notloes of ale&Ion posted In auoh sohool 

di8triOt were irregular la attributing the order for 

such e&action to the commlsalonera* oourt, and in the 

mmner or their authentloa~~on. Nererthelese., they gave 

adequate and aoourate lnromtlon oonoernlng the time, 

place, and purpuee or such election. while the sktutory 

provl6lons with reference to posting notlaea, .wben oubstantlally oomplled with, are euiiicl,ent in themselves 
$oa. ir- Kennedy, hprll 26, 1939, i++ 6 

tc support the validity of such En electIon, xch COQpllance ccnstitutos conrtrwtfve notice only . . . Vie 

do not thinx tkie irrsgularlty shown ws sufficient to 

effect itr validity of such election." 

In Leyera v. Aalker, 264 2. c:. 314, (alfln;ed by the 

Supreme Court of Texas !n 266 L. TX. 499). the Port Lorth Court 

of civil kppetils ooneidered the e Sect of an irre&ularlty in the 

notice or a municipal bond election und said: 

"It was uileged that the notice ir tkc c(Lse before 

~8 un5 indefinite and unoertaln, in that it provided for 

the election *at the oourtroo~ in the City oi Lamesa, 

Texas,* ~whereae, In iaot, there were two oourtroou;ione 

ror the oounty oorrrt and one ror the Qlatrlot oourt, In 

the sane bulldIng. The varitled answer or the dereudanta; 

however, nmkea It to dlatlnotly appear that them waa a 

written notloe signed by the sayor, posted ln three 

public plaoea In the olty or laseea, to-wit, the oourthouse, poet 0rri50, and ?&rat Rational Bank, as requlra(l 

by.law regulating general eloot$oaa, ror are than SO full 

daya before the date of oleotlon, ejmolryIa& that the 

elaetlon was to be hel4ln the oouuty oourtroom. 

*It use turther'alleged In the answer that notloe 

of the election had been In faot published in the Ikw8on 

County Jc+mal on ZWvambsr Zad, 9th. lSth, l6th and 89th. 

60 that, sonoedlq the neoeealty 0r giving a fwri0im 

notloe of the eleotlan, mboannot say, in ~18~ of the. 

rarlrle& anawor, that the oourt err@ In &leeolvIq the 

tqrery nit or ln&lll8tIcm on this ground." 

It la to be note6 that In the three last abote eitad aaaea 

the l leotlona *h%oh wmra be- 8ttaeked wore all %~eolal* emt$ona, 

and,ior this reason the rules as to the requIaIte aotloe thereIn 

armounced would not neoeasarlly ba oontrolllng'5.n (L uganeralW 

eleatlon. aueh as ror muwl high aahool dletrlot trustees, rith 

whlah we are here oonoerned: The oourta have 8eneraf-ly roqtired 

a muoh etrloter oompllanoe with tbe statutory.fombnlitlea.la the 

aaae of epeoial eleotlona than ln general eleatlone. Vie hate alted 

these aaeee only ror the purpae~ of showing that. the oourte have, 

even In epeolal elections, .permltted oertaln minor lrregularltIea 

of notice, where It appeared that the results of the eleotion 

could not poaelbly have been @'peated thereby. 

It 18 true that In kblneon v. Bostroa (San Antonlo court 

of Girl1 Appealfs, 1929),21 6. ST. (2d) 680, It was held that a 
~sdoscription of the territory to be covered in the notice tar 

e bond election was such mrcr ~8 to render the election void. 

In Coffee v. 

(Sd) 406. 

Lieb (Lkstland Ct. of Civ. App;, 1937), 107 :. ;.. 

a local optlon election vses held to be void for want of 

a written order of tt;e cor~~lssloners* court calling such election 

as provided by etetute. Eoti; Gi these cases involved special 

elections. In the letter case the court expreealy stated that tfi

rule w.uld have been contra in a general election. Referring to 

the Suprew Court opinion in Countz v. Mahell (eupre), the 

Xastlaud Court said: 

"After dealarlng the rule that failure to give 

notlae of a general elestlon doee not render the eleotlon 

nugatory, the oourt raid: *But where the slaat%oon 18 a 

8peOIal one, to be oalled and the time and plaoe fixed 

by same authority. It I8 eseentlal to the validity thereor 

that It be aall&-or orderd by the ray authorltfr, 

designated by law and none other. . .*.- 

The Tua8 supreme Court in Wallf8 T. lPllllane,108 

153, eaid: 

s, -E. 

%a think the Lagislature did not intand to m&a 

the Tarrell aleotiqn law applloabla to special eleotion8.* 

seplylng now, 8paaifIoally to your rim que8tian. 1.~0. 

whether the tru8t8e alaotion held ln tha Pettu8i TaSeta, l#orranna 

Rural Elgh gahool Dbtrlot ID Invalid by re#on.oS the raot that 

the gocrted notloe8 OS 8aId aleotlon iadloatsd that oao truotse 

uotdd be 8bOtOd iropl eaoh Of two of the ooaponent Cm Soho 

Dl8trIOt8, we XVt8QaOtrUlly advI8e yo8 that fhi8'im((rrlarity doe8 

not lnvaUdat8 the 8leotlon. It iS tl'U0 thOt &tiOlO %@&, bV1U 

Civil %atUte8, OrplW884 QrOrid68 that the tWke8 in di8triOt8 

of over 100 squ8ra mlla8 8baU. be oleoted troa the dl8trlot at lam 

aud they must be no eleoto&. &t the aoouraoy of the porrtd aotio

ie aot a Jurbliot~oael prereQti8ite to the l utbor%ty to hold 8uoh 

a trustee eleotlti. As ~x'avi606 by Art1010 gQ49, 6nd a8 u~~omnoed 

by the Supromo Court of Texe8 In Couatt ‘1. Mlohelljboth disou88ed 

SUP=), the entIre ab8enee o? notioe tor a general eleoticm doe8 

not Invalidate the alaetlon. If euoh ar.eleotlon ruy be v8llQ nit 

out notice, we belIme that su& arror in the posted notioe as Ie 

here involved does not invalidate the election. 

Your seoond queoii'on relates to the printing of the nose 

of a oandtdata ror trustee on e ballot who did not file hi8 requer

wfthin 10 days oi the elsetfon. In order for us to aaower this 

qUe8tiOll, kindly advise us uhethar the e+eotion in que8tIcm n8 ir 
eon. C. Kennedy, April 26, 1939, Face 8 

a aolEmoKl, independent or rural hi@ school diotrlct, and,it poeeitle, 

the stat-tory provision -under wFic:h the sam &as created. Xe would 

also greatly eppreclote your brief 05 this question. 

.Ymrs very truly 

A';TOH!lX GX?EIiC.i Cr" EXAS 

E,~R~U 

&alter R. Kooh 

Aseistant