Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

OFFICE OF THR ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TExqg AUSTIN Eono~ble A. C. W3Nnwn D&lml~tAttmy , snb 2 Q$ Artlale 6, Vmmm’i~ Annotated reapeotlvely provide: “The raloving ol8rsssof permne 8hall not be 8lloved to vote tn thie Bkfis,to-vitc “Firclt: Perrc%nz~ Mdss twenty-one (21) year6 of ag6, ‘Beoends Idiot88nd lun8tic.a. BonorablsA. C. Ulnborn, Page 2 "Third: All paupers supportedby any county. “Fourth: All pereionn convicted of any felony, aubjeat to such eraeptlonsm the Lvg- islature say make. "Fifth: All aoldlers,marlne8 and aeamen, employed in the eervlae of the Umy or &ary of the United Statall. Provided t&t thlr restrlo- tioa ohall not apply to otfla6re or the mt1ona1 Ward of Texas, the WtloMl Ouard Reserve, the Offloers Rsrerve Corps of the United Statea, aor to enllrted men of the mtlonal Ourrd, the ~tion61 Guard Rewrve, and the Orgnllced Reserves of the UnPted Staten, nor to retliwd offloors OS the Uultrd States Army, Bary, mad Wrlne Corps, and retired offlosre of the United Stetes Army, mvy, and nsrina Corps, and retired rarrant officers and retired enlisted men of the United 73tates Army, Eavy, muI Marine Corpr. “sec. 2. Bvery perroa aubjeat to none of the foregolug dlr~~liflcatlons, who shall lava attalned the age of tventy-one years and vho shall be a aitlten OS the United States and vho ehrll have resided in this State one year next precedingan eleatloa mud the la& six noathu vlthln the diatrlot or aounty la vhlah such per- son oife~s to vote), ah11 be deemed (Lp#llfled elsatori provided, that electors llvlug In amy uaor&anJ.ted county may vat6 at any election pre- cinct la the aounty to vhloh such aounty is at- tached for judlcFa1 purporee~ and provided fur- there, that any voter who is Subject to pp a poll tax under the lava of the State of Teue shall have paid said tax before offerlag to vote at any election in this State ad hold a receipt show1 that maid poll tax VPI paid before the rirrt "86. "J of February next preaeding suah election. . . . . &ticles 198, Vernon’s Annotated Pearl Code, end 2975, Veraon's Annotated Clot1 St(rtutes, respeotlvslyprovide: "Article 198. I HonolrbleA. C. Winborn,r'age3 "Any oo3leotor of taxmm, al-any OAe in him em+oy, vho vili'ully fallm or rmfumsm to trawwibe oorreotlyfrtnmthe orlgiaslpoll tax reoelptor certlflomteof exmtioa and lamsrtIn thm duplicateretainedln the ool- leotortsofficethe name mnd other demortp- Won of the oitltenm@red by lav to be given by him, or who fails to tmworlba oor- reotlyfrom the duplicatekupt in tha oolleeot- or18 0PSlaeand iwsrt in the list of qwlL1- fied voters of a pmclaot the name and do- aoriptionof the citlaenam montalnmd in uid dupllcLte,or who im8uema poll tmx reoelpt after the Sirst dry of FebruaryJa any ymw, bearlaga data prior to the flrmt &y of Fob- rumy, or vho vllfUly fmllm to keep maid or&- ins1dup liclaeour.1~ te lookedUJ,vhn Uw mame arm not being used, or prmitm thmm to be mutilated,defaasd,lost or demtroyod, or who ~oam~18, alterm ordmmtro~m tha, mhll bc&ln~en~ th~h~mkim~Q nor mom "Art. 2975 I . . . . 'At the time the Tax Colleator m&Itemup hia limtm of voters am hmzmln provldmd, ho mbsllrt the UIPO tzme onm mmpmrrtmlfmtwmkm up a list of allen poll tmx-payere and mhmll mark at thm top of maid list thm voMm *Alien Pou. !bxpayem,' and muoh list mbmll bm da- llvoredrtthemmwtimeaudthe~-r and to thm mamieofrloirlmam bwe&mboW pro- vtisd ior other poll tax lists,OLodthe llmtm of queUfled votorm In maid oouatyand in the various pnolnats of said oowty. Buoh oertl- fimd lists of qualifiedvotermrab lists of allen taxpmymrmlbail.1 be In the follovlngfowl n . . l . And thm mamiefom lhmll be used vith roSerena. to the list of alien tmxpmjermf’urnlshedthe offloiolmar providedln this Article." 104 .I FionorableA. C. Winborn, PIga 4 'litbngsrd to oltlxanmhlp, you vi11 observe that by the wording and provision of Seetlon 2 of Artlatie 6, mupxu,a pemcm~ho is a altlsen at the time of eleo- ed voter,88mumiag hm meets all other tlon is 8 quallfi~ ?GZhaentm. In the f7batm youpremed the alien be bemn nmtwllmed mlnme January 31, 1944. It follovo, In &never to your fIrmt qwmtion thmt he lm nov entitled to vote, al- thoughhim to11 tax maelpt, paid before JtumfMY31, 1944,. be mtaapm4 .~AUmn”. In anxver to your second quemtlon, it is our opinion that k list of voter8 or 8 poll tmx reeelpt nmde gut pumuant to lav wn be obnged or altered vsp or b y loIpI) methdl provided by I.w. To bo&%: would tend to lntroduoe too gremtan element ofunoert5ln- ty sad aulgbtat tlmem &ford too great mu opportunityfor trrud mnd inrpomltlon. YOU viu. obwrve tbxt Artiole198, muprq tier it unlevful to slter poll tax noeiptm and provides a penalty therefor and also for one 'vbo lSSW#S a poll tax receipt after tba firmt dmy of Febm ln v year, bwrlng a date prior to the tint dey of February . l%rthmrLtIm ouroplnloatbmtthere i*no mtmt- utory euthorimatian to ammad or correot the list of Votemw or the nAllen*poll tax moelpt o* to issue a 231v“voting reoelpt. We eamver your meamnd question in the negmtlve. However, be need only oonvme the eleotlan * that he la aov a altioen to vote. A premedmtloa of'h i a xnturalimatloa paperm, or a oertified aop thereof, or 4u1 thffidsvitthat he 18 8t the t-0 Of OhOt I On a OitisO&bao- lng been~~%turalired, o~anythiag that would ooavlnae the eleotiozijwQe that him prevloum dimqtlsllfIomtlonham been mxtoved vi.11suffioe to pewit him voting. Trwtlng thlm metlmhotorlly anmvers your lnqu.Wy, ve are Yours vergtmaly