Texas Election Code Title 5, Chapter 52 - Ballot Form, Content, And Preparation

SUBCHAPTER A PREPARING THE BALLOT

• Texas Section 52.001 - Official Ballot
  (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the vote in an election is by official ballot. (b) If an official ballot is unavailable at a...
• Texas Section 52.002 - Authority Preparing Ballot
  Except as otherwise provided by law, the following authority shall have the official ballot prepared: (1) for an election ordered by the governor or a...
• Texas Section 52.003 - Placing Candidate's Name On Ballot
  (a) Except as otherwise provided by law, the authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared shall have placed on the ballot the name of...
• Texas Section 52.004 - Failure To Place Candidate's Name On Ballot
  (a) A person commits an offense if the person is responsible for having the official ballot prepared for an election and knowingly fails to place...
• Texas Section 52.005 - Ballot Content Determined According To Precinct
  The ballot for an election precinct may contain only those offices and propositions stating measures on which the qualified voters of the precinct are entitled...
• Texas Section 52.006 - Correcting Ballot
  (a) To make a necessary correction on the ballot, the authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared may: (1) prepare new ballots; (2) line...
• Texas Section 52.0061 - Notice Of Correction By Authority Responsible For Preparing Ballot
  (a) The authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared shall deliver written notice to the secretary of state not later than 24 hours after...
• Texas Section 52.0062 - Notice Of Correction By Certain Printers
  (a) Each person required to file a statement under Section 51.013 shall deliver written notice to the secretary of state not later than 48 hours...
• Texas Section 52.0063 - Unlawful Preparation Of Ballots
  (a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly prepares or causes to be prepared new ballots to make a correction on the ballot...
• Texas Section 52.0064 - Destruction Of Incorrect Ballots
  (a) If new ballots are prepared to make a correction on the ballot, the authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared shall destroy the...
• Texas Section 52.007 - Specimen Ballot
  (a) An official ballot for each ballot format used in each election shall be designated a specimen ballot. (b) The specimen ballot shall be made...

SUBCHAPTER B NAME ON BALLOT

• Texas Section 52.008 - Sample Ballot
  (a) The authority responsible for procuring the election supplies shall have a supply of sample ballots printed. (b) A sample ballot may be printed only...
• Texas Section 52.031 - Form Of Name On Ballot
  (a) A candidate's name shall be printed on the ballot with the given name or initials first, followed by a nickname, if any, followed by...
• Texas Section 52.032 - Candidates With Same Or Similar Surnames
  (a) If two or more candidates for the same office have the same or similar surnames, each of those candidates may have printed on the...
• Texas Section 52.033 - Titles Prohibited
  Except as otherwise provided by this subchapter, a title or designation of office, status, or position may not be used in conjunction with a candidate's...

SUBCHAPTER C FORM OF BALLOT

• Texas Section 52.034 - Name On Ballot More Than Once
  A candidate's name may not appear more than once on the ballot except as a candidate for: (1) two or more offices that are permitted...
• Texas Section 52.061 - Printing On Ballot
  (a) The ballot shall be printed in black ink on white or light-colored paper, but the ballot may not be the same color as sample...
• Texas Section 52.062 - Numbering Of Ballots
  The ballots prepared by each authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared shall be numbered consecutively beginning with the number "1." Acts 1985, 69th...
• Texas Section 52.063 - Designation Of Election And Date
  A designation of the nature of the election and the date of the election shall be printed at the top of the ballot. Acts 1985,...
• Texas Section 52.064 - Designation As Official Ballot
  "OFFICIAL BALLOT" shall be printed in large letters on the ballot immediately below the designation and date of the election. Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch....
• Texas Section 52.065 - Arrangement Of Ballot With Party Nominee
  (a) For an election in which a candidate's name is to appear on the ballot as the nominee of a political party, the ballot shall...
• Texas Section 52.066 - Arrangement Of Ballot With No Party Nominee
  (a) For an election in which no party nominee is to appear on the ballot, the ballot shall be arranged as provided by this section....
• Texas Section 52.067 - Nonaligned Candidate Designated As Independent
  In an election in which the candidates' political party alignments are to be printed on the ballot next to the candidates' names, "Independent" shall be...
• Texas Section 52.068 - Office Title To Appear On Ballot If No Candidate For Office
  (a) If no candidate's name is to appear on the ballot for a particular office to be voted on at an election in which write-in...
• Texas Section 52.069 - Unexpired Term
  If an office to be filled for an unexpired term is to be voted on at a general or primary election, "unexpired term" shall be...
• Texas Section 52.070 - Voting Square And Instruction For Candidates
  (a) A square for voting shall be printed to the left of each candidate's name on a ballot. (b) Immediately below "OFFICIAL BALLOT," the following...
• Texas Section 52.071 - Voting Square And Instruction For Straight-party Vote
  (a) On a ballot on which a party column appears, a square larger than the square prescribed by Section 52.070(a) shall be printed to the...
• Texas Section 52.072 - Propositions
  (a) Except as otherwise provided by law, the authority ordering the election shall prescribe the wording of a proposition that is to appear on the...
• Texas Section 52.073 - Voting Square And Instruction For Propositions
  (a) On a ballot on which a proposition is to appear, "FOR" and, below it, "AGAINST" shall be printed to the left of the proposition....
• Texas Section 52.074 - Provisional Ballot For Certain Voters
  The authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared shall have a provisional ballot prepared in a form approved by the secretary of state for...

SUBCHAPTER D ORDER OF PARTIES, OFFICES, NAMES, AND PROPOSITIONS ON BALLOT

• Texas Section 52.075 - Modification Of Ballot Form For Certain Voting Systems
  The secretary of state may prescribe the form and content of a ballot for an election using a voting system, including an electronic voting system...
• Texas Section 52.091 - Party Columns
  (a) Party columns shall be arranged on the ballot in the following order, beginning on the left: (1) columns of parties with nominees for statewide...
• Texas Section 52.092 - Offices Regularly Filled At General Election For State And County Officers
  (a) For an election at which offices regularly filled at the general election for state and county officers are to appear on the ballot, the...
• Texas Section 52.093 - Offices Of Political Subdivision Other Than County
  Except as otherwise provided by law, for an election at which offices of a political subdivision other than a county are to be voted on,...
• Texas Section 52.094 - Names Of Candidates
  (a) Except as otherwise provided by law, for an election at which the names of more than one candidate for the same office are to...
• Texas Section 52.095 - Propositions
  Except as otherwise provided by law, the authority ordering an election in which more than one measure is to be voted on shall determine the...

Last modified: September 28, 2016