where do you vote for texas attorney general

by Shanelle Ritchie 3 min read

What is the Texas Statutes of the Attorney General?

See statutes: Texas Statutes Title 6, Chapter 659. The attorney general, along with the rest of Texas' executive officers, is entitled by Article 4, Section 23 of the Texas Constitution to receive an annual salary, pursuant to Title 6, Section 659.011 of the Texas Statutes.

How much does the Attorney General make in 2020?

In 2020, the attorney general received a salary of $153,750 according to the Council of State Governments.

What is the Attorney General of Texas?

14 Footnotes. The Attorney General of Texas is the chief lawyer and legal officer for the state of Texas. According to the Texas Constitution, the attorney general defends the laws and the constitution of the state of Texas, represents the state in litigation, and approves public bond issues.

When did Justin Nelson advance to the Texas primary?

Justin Nelson advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 6, 2018.

Who won the Texas Attorney General election?

Incumbent Ken Paxton defeated Justin Nelson and Michael Ray Harris in the general election for Attorney General of Texas on November 6, 2018.

Is Texas a triplex state?

Texas has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

Who did Michael Ray Harris beat?

Michael Ray Harris defeated Jamar Osborne in the Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas on April 15, 2018.

Who can seek Attorney General's advice?

Only those requestors authorized by law may seek the Attorney General's written advice through a formal opinion.

What is an attorney general opinion?

Attor­ney Gen­er­al Opinions. An attorney general opinion is a written interpretation of existing law. Attorney general opinions cannot create new provisions in the law or correct unintended, undesirable effects of the law. Attorney general opinions do not necessarily reflect the attorney general's personal views, ...

Do attorney general opinions reflect personal views?

Attorney general opinions do not necessarily reflect the attorney general's personal views, nor does the attorney general in any way "rule" on what the law should say. Furthermore, attorney general opinions cannot resolve factual disputes.

What type of election fraud activities occur?

There are over 100 different criminal offenses within the Texas Election Code, but the majority fall into a few major categories.

What are the penalties associated with election fraud?

In 2017, the Texas Legislature increased the penalties for most mail ballot related offenses to state jail felonies or higher.

What is the Office of the Attorney General's role in enforcing the election laws?

The Office of the Attorney General has statewide investigation authority and concurrent prosecution authority with local elected prosecutors over the election laws of the State. The OAG has deep experience and specialized resources to help train or assist local law enforcement and prosecution in working up complex and challenging election fraud cases.

How does the Office of the Attorney General decide which election fraud cases to pursue?

The OAG responds to the complaints it receives, which are normally vetted by the Secretary of State, and determines whether an offense occurred, and whether, based on the strength of the evidence, the case may be prosecuted successfully. The OAG does not have resources to actively detect fraud, but rather relies on members of the public and election officials to observe fraud and report it to the Secretary of State, who screens complaints pursuant to Election Code Section 31.006 and refers credible allegations to the OAG.

What is the harvesting phase of the ballot?

In the harvesting phase, workers target voters as they receive their ballots in the mail and obtain votes for the candidates they support, either by intimidation, deception, compensation, influence, or outright theft of the ballot itself.

What is the importance of secure elections?

Secure elections are the cornerstone of a thriving republic. The legislature made significant improvements in the laws governing state election integrity in 2017 which has contributed to a steady increase in the number of voter fraud referrals. A key priority of the Attorney General is to investigate and prosecute the increasing allegations of voter fraud to ensure election integrity within Texas.

What is mail ballot fraud?

Mail Ballot fraud: This activity is also known as vote harvesting. Vote harvesting exploits the inherent insecurities of the mail ballot system in two phases: seeding and harvesting. In the seeding phase, applications for mail ballots are generated to saturate targeted precincts with mail ballots. Commonly used schemes involve gaining voters’ signatures by deception, intimidation, or forgery; and/or fraudulently making an application for a voter who is not qualified to vote by mail, often by claiming that an able-bodied person is disabled. In the harvesting phase, workers target voters as they receive their ballots in the mail and obtain votes for the candidates they support, either by intimidation, deception, compensation, influence, or outright theft of the ballot itself.

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Current Officeholder

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The current officeholder is Republican Ken Paxton. He was first elected attorney general in November 2014, and took office on January 5, 2015.
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Qualifications

  • According to the Texas Secretary of State, state law says that no person shall be eligible for to run for the office of attorney general unless they are: 1. at least 18 years of age 2. a citizen of the United States 3. a resident of Texas for at least 12 months
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Vacancies

  • Article 4, Section 12 (a) of the Texas Constitutionstates: "All vacancies in State or district offices, except members of the Legislature, shall be filled unless otherwise provided by law by appointment of the Governor."
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Elections

  • Article 4, Section 2 of the Texas Constitution states: "All the above officers of the Executive Department (except Secretary of State) shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State at the time and places of election for members of the Legislature." The attorney general is elected to serve for a four-year term. There is no term limitfor this...
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Divisions

  • As of January 11, 2021, divisions within the Attorney General's Office included: 1. General Counsel 2. Opinion Committee 3. Solicitor General 4. Open Records 5. Civil Litigation 6. Child Support 7. Criminal Justice 8. Law Enforcement 9. Crime Victim Services and Victims Assistance Grants 10. Colonias 11. Administrative Functions
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Historical Officeholders

  • Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Attorney General of Texas has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any a…
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Recent News

  • The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Texas Attorney General.These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
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