ELECTION CODE

TITLE 9. CANDIDATES

CHAPTER 143. CANDIDATE FOR CITY OFFICE

Sec. 143.001.  APPLICABILITY OF CHAPTER.  This chapter applies to a candidate for a city office.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 143.002.  INDEPENDENT CANDIDACY REQUIRED.  Except as provided by Section 143.003, a candidate's name may appear on the ballot only as an independent.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 143.003.  PARTISAN CANDIDACY FOR HOME-RULE CITY OFFICE AUTHORIZED.  (a)  A city charter may authorize nominations of partisan candidates by political organizations for an office of a home-rule city.  Implementing regulations may be prescribed by the charter or by ordinance under charter authorization.
(b)  Repealed by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1236 , Sec. 6.001, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.
Amended by: 
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1236 (S.B. 1296), Sec. 6.001, eff. September 1, 2015.

Sec. 143.004.  APPLICATION REQUIRED.  (a)  Subject to Section 143.005, to be entitled to a place on the ballot, a candidate must make an application for a place on the ballot.
(b)  An application, other than an application required to be accompanied by fee, may be filed through e-mail transmission of the completed application in a scanned format to the e-mail address designated by the filing authority in the notice required under Section 141.040.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.
Amended by: 
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 711 (H.B. 3107), Sec. 83, eff. September 1, 2021.

Sec. 143.005.  APPLICATION FOR HOME-RULE CITY OFFICE.  (a)  A city charter may prescribe requirements in connection with a candidate's application for a place on the ballot for an office of a home-rule city.  This section does not authorize a city charter requirement in connection with the timely filing of an application, and any charter requirement related to an application's timely filing is superseded by Section 143.007 and other applicable filing provisions prescribed by this code.
(b)  If a city charter prescribes the requirements that a candidate's application must satisfy for the candidate's name to be placed on the ballot,  Section 141.031(a)(4)(L) also applies to the application.  The other provisions of Section 141.031 do not apply.
(c)  If a city charter requires candidates to pay a filing fee, the amount of the fee and an alternative procedure to payment of the fee shall be prescribed by the charter or by ordinance under charter authorization.  However, if an ordinance prescribing an alternative procedure to payment of a filing fee is adopted before the effective date of this code without charter authorization, the ordinance, as it exists on the effective date of this code, continues in effect until the adoption of a charter provision prescribing an alternative procedure or authorizing prescription of an alternative procedure by ordinance.
(d)  For any petition required or authorized to be filed in connection with a candidate's application for a place on the ballot for an office of a home-rule city, the minimum number of signatures that must appear on the petition is the greater of:
(1)  25;  or
(2)  one-half of one percent of the total vote received in the territory from which the office is elected by all candidates for mayor in the most recent mayoral general election.
(e)  If the city charter of a home-rule city with a population of more than 1.18 million located primarily in a county with a population of 2.5 million or more that holds nonpartisan elections for its offices requires both a petition and a $50 fee to be filed for a candidate's name to be placed on the ballot, those requirements supersede this section.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.  Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 54, Sec. 11(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1987;  Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 427, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 1987;  Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 597, Sec. 66, eff. Sept. 1, 1991;  Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 669, Sec. 15, eff. Sept. 1, 2001;  Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 695, Sec. 1, eff. June 20, 2003.
Amended by: 
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 614 (H.B. 417), Sec. 30, eff. September 1, 2007.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1163 (H.B. 2702), Sec. 14, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 644 (H.B. 4559), Sec. 29, eff. September 1, 2023.

Sec. 143.006.  AUTHORITY WITH WHOM APPLICATION FILED.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsections (b) and (c), an application for a place on the ballot must be filed with the city secretary.
(b)  An authority other than the city secretary may be designated to receive applications by a home-rule city charter or ordinance adopted under charter authorization.
(c)  An application for a place on the ballot for the first election of officers following the incorporation of a city must be filed with the authority designated by law.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 143.007.  FILING PERIOD.  (a)  Except as otherwise provided by this code, an application for a place on the ballot must be filed not later than 5 p.m. of the 62nd day before election day.  An application may not be filed earlier than the 30th day before the date of the filing deadline.
(b)  An application filed by mail is considered to be filed at the time of its receipt by the appropriate authority.
(c)  For an election to be held on a uniform election date, the day of the filing deadline is the 78th day before election day.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.  Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 925, Sec. 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2003.
Amended by: 
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1109 (H.B. 2339), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2005.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1318 (S.B. 100), Sec. 17, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 84 (S.B. 1703), Sec. 9, eff. September 1, 2015.

Sec. 143.008.  EXTENDED FILING DEADLINE FOR CERTAIN OFFICES.  (a)  This section applies only to an office with a four-year term.
(b)  If at the deadline prescribed by Section 143.007 no candidate has filed an application for a place on the ballot for an office, the filing deadline for that office is extended to 5 p.m. of the 57th day before election day.
(c)  This section does not apply to an election to be held on the date of the general election for state and county officers.
Added by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 133, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.  Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 925, Sec. 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2003.
Amended by: 
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1109 (H.B. 2339), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2005.