Opinion ID: 44626
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Constitutional and Statutory Provisions at Issue

Text: 18 The question before this Court centers on the Texas statute permitting a party officer to declare a candidate ineligible. TEX. ELEC.CODE ANN. § 145.003. An officer can do so if (1) a candidate's application for a place on the ballot indicates ineligibility or (2) facts indicating that the candidate is ineligible are conclusively established by another public record. Id. at § 145.003(f). 7 If the public record establishes ineligibility, the officer shall declare the candidate ineligible. Id. at § 145.003(g). If the candidate is declared ineligible on or before the 74th day before the election, the candidate's name is removed from the ballot. Id. at § 145.035. The party can fill the vacancy with a replacement candidate if the new candidate is certified to the secretary of state by 5:00 p.m. of the 70th day before the election. Id. at § 145.036(a), § 145.037. In situations such as the one before this Court, a replacement candidate cannot appear on the ballot if the original candidate merely withdraws. See id. at § 145.036(b). 19 The district court held that the ineligibility statute as applied in the present case violates the Constitution's Qualifications Clause by creating a pre-election residency requirement. 8 See U.S. CONST. art. 1, § 2, cl. 2. The Qualifications Clause states: 20 No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. 21 Id. The RPT argues that the statute is constitutional under the Elections Clause because it merely acts as a procedural regulation. See id. at art. 1, § 4, cl. 1. The Elections Clause states: 22 The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators. 23 Id. 24