| |
| |
|
|
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. VOTING PROCEDURES. (a) The chief clerk shall |
|
|
prepare paper ballots containing a space for a member to write in |
|
|
the member's choice for speaker. One ballot shall be prepared for |
|
|
each member and must contain the member's name and district number |
|
|
and a space for the member's signature. The house sergeant shall |
|
|
distribute each ballot to the appropriate member at the member's |
|
|
desk. |
|
|
(b) The chief clerk shall designate a voting area and shall |
|
|
provide a voting box for the marked ballots. A member may mark and |
|
|
sign the member's ballot either at the member's desk or at the |
|
|
voting area. |
|
|
(c) Each member shall be called individually by the reading |
|
|
clerk in order of the member's district number and the member shall |
|
|
proceed to the voting area when called. After arriving at the |
|
|
voting area, the member shall fold the marked and signed ballot and |
|
|
deposit it in the voting box. |
|
|
(d) After all members have voted, the chief clerk shall |
|
|
count the ballots on the house floor. The secretary of state and |
|
|
the state auditor shall observe the count. A ballot may not be |
|
|
counted unless it bears the signature of the member for whom it was |
|
|
prepared. The chief clerk shall prepare a tally sheet indicating |
|
|
how each member voted, the total votes received by each nominee, and |
|
|
the total number of members who are present, not voting. |
|
|
(e) All votes taken shall be record votes with the vote of |
|
|
each member entered in the House Journal. |
|
|
SECTION 2. RUNOFF. (a) The secretary of state shall |
|
|
announce the results of the election. The chief clerk shall release |
|
|
a copy of the tally indicating how each member voted as soon as |
|
|
possible after the secretary of state announces the results. |
|
|
(b) 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 indicating the name of a single nominee is |
|
|
considered a vote cast. |
|
|
(c) 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 3. 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, additional rounds of voting shall occur |
|
|
in the same manner as the initial vote among the same nominees, |
|
|
other than a nominee who withdraws, until a nominee receives a |
|
|
majority of the votes cast or, if no nominee receives a majority of |
|
|
the votes cast, until it is possible to determine the two nominees |
|
|
who receive the largest number of votes cast. |
|
|
(b) If in a runoff between two nominees no nominee receives |
|
|
a majority of the votes cast because of a tie vote, additional |
|
|
rounds of runoff voting shall occur in the same manner as the |
|
|
initial runoff between the same two nominees until one of the |
|
|
nominees in the runoff receives a majority of the votes cast. |
|
|
SECTION 4. OATH. 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. |
|
|
SECTION 5. BALLOT RETENTION. The chief clerk shall retain |
|
|
the paper ballots used in electing the speaker in a secure location. |
| |
|
|
Hartnett |
|
|
Eiland |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 35 was adopted by the House on January |
|
|
9, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 132, Nays 16, 0 present, not |
|
|
voting. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |