79R9527 JRJ-D

By:  Smith of Harris                                              H.B. No. 2625



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to election of trustees of certain junior college 
districts by cumulative voting.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 130, Education Code, is 
amended by adding Section 130.0827 to read as follows:
	Sec. 130.0827.  ELECTION BY CUMULATIVE VOTING.  (a)  
Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, the board 
of trustees of a junior college district that elects all of its 
trustees at large or at large by position may order that elections 
for trustees be held using the cumulative voting procedure 
described by this section.
	(b)  At an election at which more than one trustee position 
is to be filled, all of the positions that are to be filled at the 
election shall be voted on as one race by all the voters of the 
school district.  Each voter is entitled to cast a number of votes 
equal to the number of positions to be filled at the election.
	(c)  A voter may cast one or more of the specified number of 
votes for any one or more candidates in any combination.  Only whole 
votes may be cast and counted.
	(d)  If a voter casts more than the number of votes to which 
the voter is entitled in the election, none of the voter's votes may 
be counted in that election.  If a voter casts fewer votes than 
entitled, all of the voter's votes are counted in that election.
	(e)  The candidates who are elected are those, in the number 
to be elected, receiving the highest numbers of votes.
	(f)  If the board of trustees adopts an order requiring the 
use of cumulative voting, only the trustee positions that were 
scheduled to be elected at the election are filled through the use 
of cumulative voting.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.