CHAPTER 192. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS AND CANDIDATES - Texas Statutes

ELECTION CODE

TITLE 11. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

CHAPTER 192. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS AND CANDIDATES

SUBCHAPTER A. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS

Sec. 192.001. TIME OF ELECTION. Electors for president and

vice-president of the United States shall be elected at the

general election for state and county officers held in a

presidential election year.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 192.002. ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to serve as a

presidential elector, a person must:

(1) be a qualified voter of this state; and

(2) not hold the office of United States senator, United States

representative, or any other federal office of profit or trust.

(b) To be eligible to serve as a presidential elector for a

political party, a person must be affiliated with the party.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 192.003. METHOD OF BECOMING ELECTOR CANDIDATE. To become a

presidential elector candidate, a person must be nominated as a

political party's elector candidate in accordance with party

rules or named as an elector candidate by an independent or

write-in candidate for president.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 192.004. ELECTOR CANDIDATE VACANCY. (a) An elector

candidate may withdraw from the presidential election before

presidential election day, by delivering written notice of the

withdrawal to:

(1) the secretary of state; and

(2) the state chair of the party that nominated the elector

candidate or to the independent or write-in candidate for

president who named the elector candidate.

(b) If an elector candidate withdraws, dies, or is declared

ineligible before presidential election day, a replacement

elector candidate may be named by the party that nominated the

elector candidate or by the independent or write-in candidate for

president who named the elector candidate.

(c) An independent or write-in candidate for president naming a

replacement elector candidate must file with the secretary of

state, before presidential election day, the name and residence

address of the replacement candidate and a written statement,

signed by the replacement candidate, that the person consents to

be a candidate.

(d) If a political party's rules do not provide the manner of

choosing a replacement elector candidate, the party's state

executive committee may choose the replacement candidate. The

state chair of a political party naming a replacement elector

candidate must file with the secretary of state, before

presidential election day, the name and residence address of the

replacement candidate.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended

by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 864, Sec. 200, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Sec. 192.005. VOTE REQUIRED FOR ELECTION. The set of elector

candidates that is elected is the one that corresponds to the

candidates for president and vice-president receiving the most

votes.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 192.006. MEETING OF ELECTORS. (a) The electors shall

convene at the State Capitol at 2 p.m. on the first Monday after

the second Wednesday in December following their election and

shall perform their duties as prescribed by federal law.

(b) The secretary of state shall arrange for the meeting place,

notify the electors, and call the meeting to order. The secretary

shall act as temporary chair of the meeting until the electors

elect a chair from among themselves.

(c) If an elector is absent at the time for convening the

meeting, the electors may declare the elector position vacant by

a majority vote of those present at the meeting.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended

by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 864, Sec. 201, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Sec. 192.007. REPLACEMENT AFTER ELECTION. (a) The electors

meeting to vote for president and vice-president may appoint a

replacement elector by a majority vote of the qualified electors

present if:

(1) the vacancy occurred before presidential election day and a

replacement was not chosen under Section 192.004;

(2) on or after presidential election day, an elector is

declared ineligible or dies; or

(3) the vacancy is declared under Section 192.006(c).

(b) The chair of the electors shall notify the secretary of

state of the name and residence address of a replacement elector

immediately on the replacement's appointment.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended

by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 864, Sec. 202, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Sec. 192.008. ELECTOR EXPENSES. (a) In performing their

official duties, presidential electors are entitled to the same

allowances for travel expenses as those granted to state

employees.

(b) The secretary of state shall provide assistance to the

electors in submitting vouchers for travel expenses.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

SUBCHAPTER B. PRESIDENTIAL AND VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Sec. 192.031. PARTY CANDIDATE'S ENTITLEMENT TO PLACE ON BALLOT.

(a) A political party is entitled to have the names of its

nominees for president and vice-president of the United States

placed on the ballot in a presidential general election if:

(1) the nominees possess the qualifications for those offices

prescribed by federal law;

(2) the party's state chair signs a written certification of:

(A) the names of the party's nominees for president and

vice-president; and

(B) the names and residence addresses of presidential elector

candidates nominated by the party, in a number equal to the

number of presidential electors that federal law allocates to

this state;

(3) the party's state chair delivers the written certification

to the secretary of state before the later of:

(A) 5 p.m. of the 70th day before presidential election day; or

(B) 5 p.m. of the first business day after the date of final

adjournment of the party's national presidential nominating

convention; and

(4) the party is:

(A) required or authorized by Subchapter A of Chapter 172 to

make its nominations by primary election; or

(B) entitled to have the names of its nominees placed on the

general election ballot under Chapter 181.

(b) If the state chair's certification of the party's nominees

is delivered by mail, it is considered to be delivered at the

time of its receipt by the secretary of state.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended

by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 864, Sec. 203, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

1109, Sec. 21, eff. September 1, 2005.

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch.

355, Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2009.

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch.

1235, Sec. 17, eff. September 1, 2009.

Sec. 192.032. INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE'S ENTITLEMENT TO PLACE ON

BALLOT. (a) To be entitled to a place on the general election

ballot, an independent candidate for president of the United

States must make an application for a place on the ballot.

(b) An application must:

(1) comply with Section 141.031, except that:

(A) the application is not required to include a candidate's

occupation, length of residence, or statement that the candidate

is aware of the nepotism law; and

(B) the application must contain the applicable information

required by Section 141.031(a)(4) with respect to both the

presidential candidate and the running mate;

(2) state the names and residence addresses of presidential

elector candidates in a number equal to the number of

presidential electors that federal law allocates to the state;

and

(3) be accompanied by:

(A) a petition that satisfies the requirements prescribed by

Section 141.062; and

(B) written statements signed by the vice-presidential candidate

and each of the presidential elector candidates indicating that

each of them consents to be a candidate.

(c) The application must be filed with the secretary of state

not later than the second Monday in May of the presidential

election year.

(d) The minimum number of signatures that must appear on the

petition is one percent of the total vote received in the state

by all candidates for president in the most recent presidential

general election.

(e) A petition signer's voter registration is not required to be

in any particular territory.

(f) The following statement must appear at the top of each page

of the petition: "I did not vote this year in a presidential

primary election."

(g) A signature on the petition is invalid if the signer:

(1) signs the petition on or before the date of the presidential

primary election in the presidential election year; or

(2) voted in a presidential primary election during the

presidential election year.

(h) A candidate in a presidential primary election is ineligible

to be an independent candidate for president or vice-president of

the United States in the succeeding general election.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended

by Acts 1986, 69th Leg., 3rd C.S., ch. 14, Sec. 27, eff. Sept. 1,

1987; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 427, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch.

614, Sec. 32, eff. September 1, 2007.

Sec. 192.033. CERTIFICATION OF CANDIDATES FOR PLACEMENT ON

BALLOT. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), the secretary

of state shall certify in writing for placement on the general

election ballot the names of the candidates for president and

vice-president who are entitled to have their names placed on the

ballot.

(b) The secretary of state shall deliver the certification to

the authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared

in each county before the later of the 62nd day before

presidential election day or the second business day after the

date of final adjournment of the party's national presidential

nominating convention.

(c) A candidate's name may not be certified if, before

delivering the certification, the secretary of state learns that

the name is to be omitted from the ballot under Subchapter C.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

1109, Sec. 22, eff. September 1, 2005.

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch.

355, Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2009.

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch.

1235, Sec. 18, eff. September 1, 2009.

Sec. 192.034. LISTING CANDIDATES ON BALLOT. (a) The names of a

presidential candidate and the candidate's running mate shall be

placed on the ballot as one race.

(b) The names of presidential elector candidates may not be

placed on the ballot.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 192.035. VOTE FOR CANDIDATE COUNTS FOR CORRESPONDING

ELECTORS. A vote for a presidential candidate and the

candidate's running mate shall be counted as a vote for the

corresponding presidential elector candidates.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 192.036. WRITE-IN CANDIDATE. (a) With respect to a

write-in candidacy for the office of president of the United

States, this section supersedes Subchapter B, Chapter 146, to the

extent of any conflict.

(b) A declaration of write-in candidacy for president must

satisfy the requirements prescribed by Section 192.032(b) for an

independent presidential candidate's application for a place on

the ballot, except that a petition is not required.

(c) The certification for placement on the list of write-in

candidates must include the names of both the presidential

candidate and the vice-presidential candidate.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 192.037. RULES FOR COUNTING VOTES NOT CAST FOR BOTH

CANDIDATES. (a) If a voter writes in the name of a write-in

candidate for president or vice-president but does not write in a

name for a running mate, the vote shall be counted as a vote for

the candidate and the candidate's running mate.

(b) A vote shall be counted for both candidates of a set of

candidates for president and vice-president if:

(1) the ballot is marked to indicate that the voter is voting

for one of the two candidates;

(2) the ballot is marked to indicate that the voter is not

voting for the other candidate in the set; and

(3) the voter has not:

(A) indicated a vote for a presidential or vice-presidential

candidate of another set; or

(B) written in the name of a person for whom the voter desires

to vote instead of the candidate for whom the voter is not voting

under Subdivision (2).

(c) The secretary of state shall prescribe guidelines consistent

with this code to assist counting officers in counting ballots in

which the presidential race is irregularly marked.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended

by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 864, Sec. 204, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

SUBCHAPTER C. WITHDRAWAL, DEATH, AND INELIGIBILITY OF

PRESIDENTIAL AND VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Sec. 192.061. WITHDRAWAL, DEATH, OR INELIGIBILITY GENERALLY.

With respect to withdrawal, death, or ineligibility of a

presidential or vice-presidential candidate in a general

election, this subchapter supersedes Subchapter A, Chapter 145,

to the extent of any conflict.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 192.062. PRESIDENTIAL OR VICE-PRESIDENTIAL PARTY NOMINEE.

(a) The secretary of state shall certify in writing for

placement on the ballot the name of a political party's

replacement nominee for president or vice-president of the United

States if:

(1) the original nominee withdraws, dies, or is declared

ineligible on or before the 74th day before presidential election

day; and

(2) the party's state chair delivers certification of the

replacement nominee's name, signed by the state chair, to the

secretary of state not later than 5 p.m. of the 70th day before

presidential election day.

(b) If the state chair's certification of a replacement nominee

is delivered by mail, it is considered to be delivered at the

time of its receipt by the secretary of state.

(c) The name of a nominee who has withdrawn, died, or been

declared ineligible shall be omitted from the ballot and the name

of the replacement nominee placed on the ballot if a replacement

nominee is certified for placement on the ballot as provided by

this section. Otherwise, the withdrawn, deceased, or ineligible

nominee's name shall be placed on the ballot.

(d) A vote for a withdrawn, deceased, or ineligible nominee

whose name appears on the ballot shall be counted as a vote for

the nominating political party's presidential elector candidates.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended

by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 864, Sec. 205, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

1109, Sec. 23, eff. September 1, 2005.

Sec. 192.063. INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. (a) The name

of an independent presidential candidate and the name of the

candidate's running mate shall be omitted from the ballot if the

presidential candidate withdraws, dies, or is declared ineligible

on or before the 74th day before presidential election day.

(b) A vote for an independent presidential candidate who has

withdrawn, died, or been declared ineligible may not be counted.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

1109, Sec. 24, eff. September 1, 2005.

Sec. 192.064. INDEPENDENT VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. (a) The

secretary of state shall certify in writing for placement on the

ballot the name of a replacement vice-presidential running mate

for an independent candidate for president of the United States

if:

(1) the original running mate withdraws, dies, or is declared

ineligible on or before the 74th day before presidential election

day; and

(2) the independent presidential candidate delivers

certification of the replacement running mate's name, signed by

the presidential candidate, to the secretary of state not later

than 5 p.m. of the 70th day before presidential election day.

(b) If the presidential candidate's certification of a

replacement running mate is delivered by mail, it is considered

to be delivered at the time of its receipt by the secretary of

state.

(c) The name of a vice-presidential candidate who has withdrawn,

died, or been declared ineligible shall be omitted from the

ballot and the name of the replacement candidate placed on the

ballot if a replacement candidate is certified for placement on

the ballot as provided by this section. Otherwise, the withdrawn,

deceased, or ineligible candidate's name shall be placed on the

ballot.

(d) The fact that the name of an independent vice-presidential

candidate who has withdrawn, died, or been declared ineligible is

placed on the ballot does not affect the counting of votes for

the candidate's running mate.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

1109, Sec. 25, eff. September 1, 2005.