Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1950 )

PRICEDANIEL
ATTORNEY
GF.NER.4‘
Hon.uoodrow curtis
countyAttorney
Be: The legality of real-
‘pzs:,o~t, La* ant4 or Frlo county
aad ot a oounty line
aonsolldatedschool
district voti for
oounty school2 rustees
and oouaty superlnten-
Dear Sirs dent in IWe County.
Yererer to your reooat Nquert which read6 in
mt ae follevso
"The Moore IndependentSchoolT~;~lct
has been entirely in ?PIO Count
and it conelsted of a $W't of, 3;#
ut not iI1
of CommlssionersPrecinct Ho* 3, ot Frio
count Texas, and suoh nohool distrkot has
OOMO I8
idated with the Yancey Independent
SohooZ District under the Rural High School
OoneolidationLax, The Yancey Independent
School Matrfct is entirely in Medlna CoIIyp-
typ and the Yancey In4ependentSchool MS-
trict has ths management and oontrol ot the
eoanolfslat8d dietriot ?iewfrsaVter called
Pancey==Moo~eConsolOdo&sdSdhool DA&P%&.
"1. Do the people who ~eaide in the
bounds of this Yanoey=HooreConsolidated
Sohool Mat&at9 whloh lllesin F~fo County,
have a right to vote tar oouaty sahooltrue-
tees in F~fo County?
"2. As pointed out above the Yancey-
Woo~o ConsolidatedSchool Matriot doar not
embrace the entire bounds of Commzssfonere
Ppeoinot HO+3, in Frfo County, Texas, there-
fore uoufd those people who ax% residents of
the CommissionersP~ecfect No, 3, but are not
residents of the ConsolfdatedSohool Distpfct,
be entitled to elect the County School TPUS-
tee fpom the said Precfnct No. 3?
BOA, wooaPow
ctwtir, pagr 2 (v-1087)
*30 Wll the people trar tha Yenosy-
Xooxw CeneolMated School Ddatriot ot wW.oh
the Yanoey Idependent School Mrrtrlot har
the mmqge8mt and dontPo1 of the aanrroli-
dated &trtriaD;, hare a lo@1 ri$ht to rote
for trwtse at Large in Pa40 County?
eCb IF%11the pea zs who rrfJlde in the
Xanoepf4iaore Consollda Ped Sohool Wstrlot,
and who roritle lo that portion ot Rrlo Coua-
ty be5dq in suoh d&&riot, h&m a le al M&t
to vote tor~the Oounty fuperlntanden f! at
s0hoo1r in rpfo oowltyo
We beUevs your tixat anb thiml questions ape
wweled by Attorney OeneraP&fse
Opinton I&PO.
V~!S3c We
theretore a es with you that the peo le who rerride&A
the 'tancoy
-fiz037, Oonsoli&stsd Q&00X 8%StPict an& who
awe ~erldents ot Brie Oounty ma not vote for ooaAt7
``1. truetees or oomty mhob T trusteer at large M'
#P&a,oountj.A oopy of Attcmey Oenepal@a Opfnion Xbrb,
v-59% is enolowl, The op4~lon reets on statutorypro-
v1wJAa bar tor thstr bssis the pressleethat persons
9 Is to vote tor truateerr
we not eligi who do not govern
their partioular sob001 district. Though part of the
dlatrZot iJlQueatfOA 28 iA e$o tb.lAtf,it i0~Wd4P ths
addair"bsatiaaet the otricialo of MsdsarOapmtg.
Aptfale 2676, VA oSap p~orEdas in pt%Pt:
*?be genePa IMRageAeAtand Oc&Pof Of
the publfa P~ee sohoole and hQh mhools iA
sOrabcounty, unless othemriss OVided by
law shall be vest& in five (5Y county sohool
trustees elected SPom the co&V, ore of'wbsrhom
rLbcrl1bs elae%da f’xwu the rrountt at large by
&be qgurlitisd BotwB ot the 001#1 aA&aaA-
m&Ma%ed fodepewbn% sohool dlstrfcts of %ho
ootmty, and one Prom eaoh Oopmfss~oAersnPm-
&Wt by thA qWtbfff@3dVs)tePp(IoS eMC!h
cO?BStI-
r&au*Pro Frw$.nat# 0 F 0
In view of the above quoted 6tatate ft la our
apinzoa that the pesidents of ComW~sloae~b~ ?Pe8fo8t so.
3 ot *lo QauAty who do no% Paside fn %he Yanosy-MoosPe
QaprolMated Sahool Dfet~fct aridwho a~peotheerpofsequal&-
Itie4voters, may vote fop a ooun%y sohoal trus%ee from
Freaaot $80~3as well as lop %hs oouBty %FW%W a% Uqe
toP rwli 0ouAty 0
Hon. WooaPolfcuPtis, page 3 (V-1087)
Seotlon 1 of Article VI or the Constitutiorr of
~BXIUI ~0ria68 that certain ola~itbs 0r ``PBWS ~0 da-
qwll tp 0a to rots in Tens. Section 2 of this Article
~mi&JS in pad8
lBve~ y sub ect to nona of the
persm
foregoing disgualifica t ions, who rhnl.1 hate
srttainea the age of twenty-cm3years and who
shall be a citizen of the United States and
who shall have resided in this State ane year
nest preceding an sleetion ozd tba lart sfr
3"1~hm vithln the dietriot or oomtf In which
race3 0ff0rs t0 00t0, shui b doe-a
l quap"
isted eleotor: . 0 I)
Artioler 2954 and 2955 of Vernon’s Civil Stat-
utes oontain sidlar p~orisi0w~
%la Ooalrsionsrs c rt or e*ePy ooun-
ty Eavlag thme thoqsaad soholastic
pOpU.Utfon or 8oaw aa he p``osdirrg
roholaotie aenmaa shall at a oenoxel Blea-
tiaP pr0vfaO r0& ihe elrotfon 0r a county
rlnttient to eerve ror a ten or four
``y``rs who a&l1 ba a perscm of @due%-
l
tictam t&aiments, good ao~al chmaete~,
ana exeoutfve abflf%y, and who shall be pro-
rfa0a by the CcrJllfsrrfonaPs court vfth an or-
floe in the cowkhouse, and wl%h neceesa~y
office fuPnituPe ala fixtuPef3~He shall be
the holder of a teachePQs f’frst, gmde CEIP-
tfficate OPteachoPus pemsanent ceptfffeate,
In evspy couuty that shall attain three thou-
sand (39000) scholastLapopulation OPSIOP~,
the Coxm5.ssfone~s Court shall appoint such
stipopintsndent who sha$P perform the duties
of such office until the electfon and quali-
ffcatfon of his successor. In all oountfes
now OFhereafter hav%ng the offloe of Cow&y
Superintendentwhere the schola8ticpopula-
tion according to the last scholasticten-
SW 4s less than thpee thousaad (3,000) but
aore than two thousand (2,000] the office of
County Supetrfntendent shall contfnue unless
and until a rssjopityof the qualified p~opec-
t tax paying voters of sa%d county, voting
al an eliee%ion held to de%ePlaine whethee said
.
Ron. woodPov curtis, page 4 (v-1087)
offloe shall be abolished, shall vote to abol,-
ish aaid office, whiah election shall be OP-
dered by the CommissfonersCourt upon petition
therefor as hereinafter 8 eclfied. PLLOVfded,
hovevep, that If a majoriey of said voters
voting at said election hereinaboveprovided
for, vote to abolish said offioe said elec-
tion shall not become effeotive until the
expiration of the tern of offioe SOP which
the County Superintendenthas been elected
or appointed0 And In all other counties hav-
Lng less than three thousand (3,000) soholas-
tie populationwhenever mope than twenty-five
(25) per cent of the qualified voters of said
county as shown by the vote for Qovernor at
the ppeaeding General Election shell petition
the CommissionersCourt therefor, said Cowt
shall order an election for said county to de-
termine whether OP not the office of County
Superintendentshall.be created la 6aZd oountyi
and, if 8 ma ority of the qWiUfied
taxpaying vo iQPB voting at said elecri:riiill
vote for the creation of the off&m of County
SupePiatendentin said oountg, the oommission-
0~s Court, at its next regular term aftep the
ho1 of said eleation, shall oreate the of-
fice3 o County Superintend%ntPand name a Coun-
ty Superintendentwho shall qualify under this
Obapter, and hold such offfae until the next
Qeneml Eleoticxi,0 0 0*
147 'fox, 70, 212 S.W.2d
625 (1948)%
“The PI@ to vo%e is so fundamental in
our form of government that it should be as
sealouSly safeguardedas ape ow natural
Pightx 0 It has been said that slaws abpldg-
ix>he natuPs right of the cftiten should
be res&afned by rigorous oonstructiions vfth-
in their narrowest lfmits,V It Is sufficienti,
hovevep, that we apply here the leas extreme
and well establishedyule of oonstPuotionthat
statu%es ~egulatfng %he pi&t to oo+zeshould
be Ives (B pbepal fniterwwtation fm favor of
thee r%ght.
It is observed that Article 2688 does not except
my of the residenntso$ the county from its p~ovislons In
. .
HOD.woodro~ cwif5, page 5 P-lo671
the ilrstWUW8VhQPQan QlQOtiQIIfOP LLOOuIIt W@WI&iQW
Qt Is authori5Qde On the oontrary, we be I i6QQ ft 4m-
: Qt&lka$QStfaat all Of the tiQe$dQatQOf thhe COWt Who aTO
&?4QMfiOQ qWlifiQd VOtQPS lsao VOtQ $0 &IQ QbOt 4:OS) tor
the CorPgeySchool S~erInten&nt. %aerefore it is our
OpiM&n thpt the resldente OS tibo ijount g, do PWidO %a
the ``06y-llOCWQCOaSOlidQtQdS&00% Ma riot aab who are
OthQPVI6QqWu?iQd VOtQPU8~6 %Qal&y QmtiQa t0 VOeQ
~CIPthe S~QPintQndQnt Of Pub&i0 $ OhoOiBOf QOQhCO&U&y,
Art. 2688, V&&t poass v,_Praf,Rl,, m-.
SulrIwLRp
'Ehs Pesidents of PPQcinQt Ho. 3 of Frio
CotId who do not re?Jido ia thQ ~t3~OQjr~OOl'Q
ConeoI MdBtl School DitstzWt, and v&o UQ
OthQrl&36 qaUilIfIQd voters, gleyVat@ far 8
OOWty Soho tlWQtQ6 $COSiI &Q0ihOt 83. MD
,ve&l a8 rap the countf rohoet trwter ai
large for such county. A& 4676, V~7.8~
-6 PQ8idmt~ of Frio COUntywho PQQfdQ
la the YanoQy-H(oOP6 COheOlidatQd Bohool Z&Q-
*riot and who ax-8 othervise quaiiriea VOtQPE
mQ lQ@ly entitled to Vote SOP the Super-
intendent or Publio Sohools of suoh oouatt.
Artc.2688 V.OaS. J
212 h,2d 62
aff'lmeid.
AFPlMVWt
8, CI DaVlS,Jr.
County Affair8 DIvIelon
OhWor 9, Nethews
Firrnb
Asoimtaat Asslatiat