Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division:

An Inventory of Elections Materials (Part I) at the Texas State Archives, 1909, 1913, 1936, 1940-1984

Agency History

The Texas Secretary of State is a constitutional officer of the executive branch of state government, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate for a term concurrent with the governor's (a two-year term at first, a four-year term since 1974). The office was first created by the Constitution of the Republic of Texas in 1836, and has been continued by each succeeding Constitution.

The Secretary of State has an enormous number of duties and responsibilities, including the following: authenticating the publication of all laws passed by the state legislature; approving comptroller's accounts against the state prior to payment; maintaining a register of all official acts and proceedings of the governor, and all appointments to state boards and commissions; interpreting and enforcing the Texas Election Code, as the state's chief election officer; keeping the Seal of the State of Texas; maintaining many business-related filings, including corporation and Uniform Commercial Code filings.

The office of the Secretary of State is divided into five divisions: Executive, Elections, Business and Public Filings, Administrative Services, and Information Services.

The Elections Division assists the Secretary in interpreting and applying the Election Code and other election laws, and in carrying out his duties as the state's chief election officer. This involves the following tasks: receiving, examining, and filing the official certified returns of all general elections, special elections for members of the legislature, and constitutional amendment elections; preparing detailed and comprehensive written instructions on election laws and distributing them to state and local authorities who administer the laws; receiving official filings of election-related lists, records, and petitions; maintaining a registration service master file containing voter registration information for each registered voter in the state; providing for the training of election judges and clerks; certifying (in writing) the name of each candidate for U.S. president and vice-president and each candidate nominated at a primary election or party convention for a statewide or district office that will appear on the general election ballot.

In 1992, the functions of the Elections Division's Disclosure Filings Section were transferred to the newly created Texas Ethics Commission. Those duties had included the administration of certain ethics filings, created during the 1970s: statements of campaign contributions and expenditures for individuals and for political action committees (PACs), personal financial disclosure statements required of candidates and certain elected and appointed state officials, speaker's race reports, registration and reports of lobbyists.

Scope and Contents of the Records

These records include certificates of election, canvasses of votes, election returns (mostly county returns, but also some precinct returns), correspondence, office memoranda, proclamations, clippings, presidential electors reports, minutes of the electoral college, Attorney General opinions concerning elections, precinct maps, lists of candidates, copies of relevant legislation, sample ballots, applications for a place on the ballot, election inspection reports, election schools materials, handbooks, voter registration reports, records of political parties (including minutes of party conventions, rules, and party primary expense statements), lists of officials prepared by the Secretary of State, election working files, and constitutional amendment working files. They comprise election materials created and/or maintained by the Elections Division of the Texas Secretary of State, dating 1909, 1913, 1936, 1940-1984. These materials document most general and special elections dating 1909, 1913, 1936, 1940-1984; and most primary elections dating 1950-1984. Files are not present for all elections. Most files reflect statewide or district races, although local races (e.g. for municipal offices) are also occasionally represented, especially in the case of special or contested elections. Parties represented include the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as independent candidates and third parties (Libertarian, Socialist Workers, La Raza Unida, American, Constitutional, Independent, New, Citizen, Whig, Confederate, American Family, Communist, and Populist Parties). Constitutional amendment elections are well-represented.

These records document the full gamut of election-related activities in Texas, including ordering and notification of elections, voter registration, political party rules, conducting primary elections, primary financing, political party conventions, application for a place on the ballot, preparation of the ballot, training and conduct of election judges and clerks, poll watching and election inspection, voting procedures, counting of ballots and preparation of returns, canvassing of election results, early voting, management of different voting systems, management of the presidential electoral college, election recounts, contested elections, bilingual requirements, and management of constitutional amendment elections.

Of particular note are voter registration reports dating 1967-1980. Arranged alphabetically by county and then in reverse chronological order within each folder, these reports give the number of registered voters precinct by precinct, with a county total. Reports dating 1967-1973 give a further breakdown (precinct by precinct) of number of voter registration certificates issued, and number cancelled.

Although some election returns are present in these files, the vast majority of election returns (county-by-county and precinct-by-precinct) have been described in three separate inventories (see Related Material).

This finding aid has been split into two separate finding aids due to electronic file size limitations imposed by TARO. Click here for Part II (mostly 1976-1984). If you are reading this in paper, that finding aid is found at a separate divider within the binder.

To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Please note that a portion of these records--specifically, the last accession (1995/041)--is stored at the State Records Center. Records requested before 10:00 a.m. will usually be available by 4:00 p.m. the same day. Records requested after 10:00 a.m. and before 3:00 p.m. will usually be available by noon the next day.

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).

To view the videotapes or listen to the audiocassettes please contact the Archives' Preservation Officer.

Technical Requirements

None.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Election materials, Elections Division, Texas Secretary of State. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession numbers: 1979/195, 1989/064, 1989/092, 1995/041

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Elections Division of the Texas Secretary of State on June 1, 1979; and January 13, 1989; by the Administrative Division of the Texas Secretary of State on December 6, 1988; and by the Statutory Documents Section of the Texas Secretary of State on December 22, 1994.

Processing Information

Laura K. Saegert, September 1989

Tony Black, October 2003, February 2005

Detailed Description of the Records