The commissioner must conduct authorized referenda or board elections and adopt voting rules; the corporation pays the expenses; eligible citrus producers in a proposed or established pest management zone may vote and elect board members, but only once per election or referendum; and voter information is confidential.
Sec. 80.016. CONDUCT OF BOARD ELECTIONS AND REFERENDA; BALLOTING. (a) The commissioner shall conduct a referendum or board election authorized under this chapter. (b) The corporation shall bear all expenses incurred in conducting a referendum or board election. (c) The commissioner shall adopt rules for voting in board elections and referenda to establish pest management zones. Rules adopted under this subsection must include provisions for determining: (1) who is a citrus producer eligible to vote in an election or referendum; (2) whether a board member is elected by a plurality or a majority of the votes cast; and (3) the area from which each board member is elected. (d) A citrus producer in a proposed or established pest management zone is entitled to: (1) vote in a referendum concerning the pest management zone; and (2) elect board members to represent the pest management zone. (e) An eligible citrus producer may vote only once in a referendum or board election. (f) Ballots in a referendum or board election shall be mailed directly to a central location, as determined by the commissioner. A citrus producer eligible to vote in a referendum or board election who has not received a ballot from the commissioner, corporation, or another source shall be offered the option of requesting a ballot by mail or obtaining a ballot at the office of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service or a government office distributing ballots in a county in the proposed or established zone in which the referendum or board election is conducted. (g) A referendum is approved if: (1) at least two-thirds of those voting vote in favor of the referendum; or (2) those voting in favor of the referendum cultivate more than 50 percent, as determined by the commissioner, of the citrus acreage in the relevant pest management zone. (h) If a referendum under this chapter is not approved, the commissioner may conduct another referendum. A referendum under this subsection may not be held before the first anniversary of the date on which the previous referendum on the same issue was held. (i) A public hearing regarding the proposed suppression program, including information regarding regulations to be promulgated by the commissioner, may be held by the commissioner in each of several locations in each pest management zone. (j) Individual voter information, including an individual's vote in a referendum or board election conducted under this section, is confidential and is not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code. Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 506 (S.B. 1016), Sec. 10.01, eff. September 1, 2009. Amended by: Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 924 (H.B. 1494), Sec. 5.03, eff. September 1, 2013. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 29 (S.B. 1749), Sec. 8, eff. September 1, 2015.