ELECTION CODE

TITLE 13. RECOUNTS

CHAPTER 211. GENERAL PROVISIONS



Sec. 211.001. ELECTIONS IN WHICH RECOUNT MAY BE OBTAINED. A recount may be obtained as provided by this title in any election.

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



Sec. 211.002. DEFINITIONS. In this title:

(1) "Recount" means the process conducted under this title for verifying the vote count in an election.

(2) "Initial recount" means a recount obtained under Subchapter B, Chapter 212.

(3) "Partial recount" means a recount in fewer than the total number of election precincts involved in an election.

(4) "Supplementary recount" means a recount obtained under Subchapter C, Chapter 212, following a partial initial recount.

(5) "Expedited recount" means a recount obtained under Subchapter D, Chapter 212.

(6) "Recount coordinator" means the authority to whom a petition for an initial recount or an expedited recount is submitted under Section 212.026 or 212.082.

(7) "Recount supervisor" means the authority designated by Section 213.001 to manage and supervise a recount in election precincts in the jurisdiction of a local canvassing authority.

(8) "Recount document" means a petition for an initial recount, a petition for an expedited recount, an application for a supplementary recount, or an application for including remaining paper ballot precincts.

(9) "Recount deposit" means the deposit required by Section 212.111.

(10) "Voting system vote" means a vote cast in a voting system that is not a write-in vote.

(11) "Automatic recount" means a recount conducted under Chapter 216.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 851, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.



Sec. 211.003. CHANGE IN OUTCOME OF ELECTION. In this title, a change in the outcome of an election occurs if, as a result of a recount in the precincts included in a recount document:

(1) a candidate who was shown by the previous vote count to be nominated, elected, or entitled to a place on a runoff ballot or to be tied for nomination, election, or entitlement to a place on a runoff ballot loses that status;

(2) in a presidential general election, the presidential candidate who was shown by the previous vote count to have received the most votes in this state loses that status;

(3) in an election on a measure, the winning side becomes the losing side; or

(4) in a presidential primary election, entitlement to delegate representation at the political party's national presidential nominating convention on behalf of a candidate or an uncommitted delegation is changed.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1986, 69th Leg., 3rd C.S., ch. 14, Sec. 32, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.



Sec. 211.004. PRESIDING OFFICER OF CANVASSING AUTHORITY INELIGIBLE OR UNABLE TO SERVE. (a) The presiding officer of a local canvassing authority who is a candidate in a race for which a recount is to be made is ineligible to serve as the recount coordinator or recount supervisor.

(b) The presiding officer of a local canvassing authority may designate the following authority as the recount coordinator or recount supervisor, and if the presiding officer is ineligible or unable to serve as recount coordinator or recount supervisor, the following authority shall serve in that capacity:

(1) the county clerk, if a commissioners court is the canvassing authority;

(2) the city secretary, if a city's governing body is the canvassing authority;

(3) the secretary of the governing body, or the authority performing the duties of a secretary under this code, if the governing body of a political subdivision other than a county or city is the canvassing authority; or

(4) the secretary of the county executive committee, if a political party's county executive committee is the canvassing authority and the committee has a secretary who is a member of the committee, or the county clerk if the committee does not have a member-secretary.

(c) A substitute recount coordinator does not replace the presiding officer of the local canvassing authority in a canvass following a recount.

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



Sec. 211.005. METHOD OF GIVING NOTICE; RECORD OF NOTICE. (a) The authority responsible for giving a notice required by this title shall use the most expeditious means available for giving the notice. If the authority cannot give personal notice when required, the authority shall give notice by another method.

(b) The authority giving notice shall make a written record of the time at which each notice is given to a person and the method by which the notice is given. The record shall be preserved with the recount document to which the notice pertains.

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



Sec. 211.006. PROMPT PERFORMANCE OF RECOUNT FUNCTIONS. (a) Each authority responsible for performing a function in a recount shall perform the function diligently and shall take prompt action at every stage of the proceeding.

(b) This section is enforceable by writ of mandamus.

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



Sec. 211.007. PRESERVATION OF RECOUNT PAPERS. (a) In this section, "recount papers" means the documents requesting a recount, amendments to those documents, records of notices given, records of costs of the recount, and file copies of statements of costs.

(b) A recount coordinator shall retain the recount papers in the coordinator's possession for the longest of the following periods:

(1) the period for preserving the precinct election records;

(2) 60 days after the date the canvass of the recount is completed;

(3) 30 days after the date assessed costs are finally settled; or

(4) 30 days after the date an amount owed by a person against whom costs are assessed is referred for collection.

(c) If a recount supervisor is also the recount coordinator for a recount, the papers accumulated in the officer's capacity as supervisor shall be retained for the same period as those accumulated in the officer's capacity as coordinator.

(d) A recount supervisor who is not the recount coordinator shall retain the recount papers in the supervisor's possession for the longest of the following periods:

(1) the period for preserving the precinct election records;

(2) 60 days after the date recount costs for payment of claimants are certified; or

(3) if costs in the supervisor's jurisdiction are assessed against a person, six months after the date a statement of costs incurred in the supervisor's jurisdiction is delivered to the recount coordinator.

(e) Subsections (b), (c), and (d) do not apply to recount papers delivered to the authority to whom an amount owed by a person against whom costs are assessed is referred for collection.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 864, Sec. 206, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.