|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of |
|
Texas, That, in accordance with Sections 9(b) and 11, Article III, |
|
Texas Constitution, the House of Representatives of the 80th |
|
Legislature shall elect a speaker of the house from its own |
|
membership as follows: |
|
SECTION 1. NOMINATIONS. (a) The secretary of state shall |
|
call for nominations from the floor for the election of speaker of |
|
the house of representatives and shall recognize every member who |
|
desires to make a nomination. |
|
(b) Each member recognized for this purpose shall |
|
immediately advance to the front microphone and make the nomination |
|
in a nominating speech not to exceed five minutes in length. |
|
(c) After all nominations have been made, the secretary of |
|
state shall declare nominations to be closed. |
|
SECTION 2. SECONDS. (a) A person is not considered a |
|
nominee unless the nomination is seconded by at least one member. |
|
(b) One seconding speech shall be allowed for each |
|
nomination in the order in which nominations were made, then other |
|
seconding speeches shall be allowed in rotation in the same order. |
|
(c) No more than five seconding speeches shall be allowed |
|
for each nominee. |
|
(d) A seconding speech may not exceed three minutes in |
|
length. |
|
SECTION 3. VOTING PROCEDURES. (a) The chief clerk shall |
|
prepare paper ballots containing the name of each nominee and a |
|
space for indicating that the member is present, not voting. The |
|
ballot shall be prepared to allow a member to mark the ballot in a |
|
manner that does not disclose the member's identity. |
|
(b) The chief clerk shall designate a voting area for the |
|
members to mark their ballots and shall provide a voting box for the |
|
marked ballots. Each member shall be called individually by the |
|
reading clerk and shall proceed to the voting area when called. As |
|
a member arrives at the voting area, the chief clerk shall hand the |
|
member the member's ballot and allow the member to privately mark |
|
the ballot. After marking the ballot, the member shall fold the |
|
ballot and return it to the chief clerk. The chief clerk shall |
|
initial each marked ballot and the ballot shall be deposited in the |
|
voting box. |
|
(c) After all members have voted, the chief clerk, journal |
|
clerk, and voting clerk shall publicly count the ballots on the |
|
house floor. A ballot may not be counted unless it bears the chief |
|
clerk's initials. The chief clerk shall prepare a tally sheet |
|
indicating the total votes received by each nominee and the total |
|
number of ballots counted as present, not voting. |
|
(d) A verification of a vote taken consists solely of |
|
ensuring that a marked ballot was tallied correctly. |
|
(e) All votes taken shall be by secret ballot and only the |
|
results of the election, including the total number of votes cast |
|
for each nominee and the number of members present, not voting, |
|
shall be entered in the House Journal. |
|
SECTION 4. RESULTS; RUNOFF. (a) The secretary of state |
|
shall announce the results of the election. If a nominee receives a |
|
majority of the votes cast, the secretary of state shall declare |
|
that nominee to be elected to the office of speaker of the house of |
|
representatives. For purposes of determining a majority of the |
|
votes cast for speaker under this resolution, only a ballot marked |
|
for a single nominee is considered a vote cast. |
|
(b) If no nominee receives a majority of the votes cast, the |
|
two nominees receiving the largest number of votes in the initial |
|
vote shall be in a runoff conducted in accordance with the voting |
|
procedures for the initial vote. The secretary of state shall |
|
announce the results of the runoff and declare the nominee |
|
receiving a majority of the votes cast to be elected. |
|
SECTION 5. TIE VOTES. (a) If in the initial vote no |
|
nominee receives a majority of the votes cast and it is not possible |
|
to determine the two nominees receiving the largest number of votes |
|
cast because of a tie vote, an additional round of voting shall |
|
occur among the same nominees, other than a nominee who withdraws. |
|
If a nominee receives a majority of the votes cast, the secretary of |
|
state shall declare that nominee to be elected to the office of |
|
speaker. If no nominee receives a majority of the votes cast, the |
|
two nominees who receive the largest number of votes cast shall be |
|
in a runoff conducted in the manner provided by Section 4(b) of this |
|
resolution. |
|
(b) If in a runoff between two nominees no nominee receives |
|
a majority of the votes cast because of a tie vote, an additional |
|
round of runoff voting shall occur between the same two nominees. |
|
(c) If the additional round of voting under Subsection (a) |
|
or (b) fails to resolve the tie vote, the secretary of state shall |
|
again call for nominations from the floor for the election of |
|
speaker and proceed with the election of a speaker in the manner |
|
provided by this resolution from among the new nominees. |
|
SECTION 6. OATH. (a) After the election, the secretary of |
|
state shall direct the administration of the oath of office to the |
|
speaker-elect. The speaker shall take the chair immediately after |
|
taking the oath of office. |
|
(b) After the speaker takes the oath of office, the chief |
|
clerk shall destroy all paper ballots used in the election of the |
|
speaker. |