Texas Codes

Tex. Elec. Code § 141.001 (2026)

Eligibility Requirements For Public Office

✓ current as of May 2026
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Sec. 141.001. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC OFFICE. (a) To be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or appointed to, a public elective office in this state, a person must:

(1) be a United States citizen;

(2) be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled at the election or on the date of appointment, as applicable;

(3) have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be:

(A) totally mentally incapacitated; or

(B) partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote;

(4) have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities;

(5) have resided continuously in the state for 12 months and in the territory from which the office is elected for six months immediately preceding the following date:

(A) for a candidate whose name is to appear on a general primary election ballot, the date of the regular filing deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot;

(B) for an independent candidate, the date of the regular filing deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot;

(C) for a write-in candidate, the date of the election at which the candidate's name is written in;

(D) for a party nominee who is nominated by any method other than by primary election, the date the nomination is made; and

(E) for an appointee to an office, the date the appointment is made;

(6) on the date described by Subdivision (5), be registered to vote in the territory from which the office is elected; and

(7) satisfy any other eligibility requirements prescribed by law for the office.

(a-1) For purposes of satisfying the continuous residency requirement of Subsection (a)(5), a person who claims an intent to return to a residence after a temporary absence may establish that intent only if the person:

(1) has made a reasonable and substantive attempt to effectuate that intent; and

(2) has a legal right and the practical ability to return to the residence.

(a-2) Subsection (a-1) does not apply to a person displaced from the person's residence due to a declared local, state, or national disaster.

(a-3) The authority with whom an application for a place on a general primary election ballot is filed under Section 172.022 shall, to the extent permitted by law, use Subsections (a) and (a-1) in determining whether a candidate meets the residency requirements for a public elective office.

(b) A statute outside this code supersedes Subsection (a) to the extent of any conflict.

(c) Subsection (a) does not apply to an office for which the federal or state constitution or a statute outside this code prescribes exclusive eligibility requirements.

(d) Subsection (a)(6) does not apply to a member of the governing body of a district created under Section 52(b)(1) or (2), Article III, or Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 614 (H.B. 417), Sec. 28, eff. September 1, 2007.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 504 (H.B. 484), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2015.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1047 (H.B. 831), Sec. 1, eff. January 1, 2020.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 40 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1986–2024 · leading case: In re Perez, 508 S.W.3d 500 (Tex. App. 2016).
In re Perez, 508 S.W.3d 500 (Tex. App. 2016). · cites it 4× “See Tex. Elec. Code Ann. § 141.001 (a). We are concerned here with the residence and voter registration requirements set forth in subsections (a)(5)(A) and (a)(6), respectively.”
Cuellar v. State, 70 S.W.3d 815 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002). · cites it 2× “[64] Tex. Elec.Code Ann. § 141.001 (Vernon 1986); Op.”
United States v. James Eli Huff, II, 370 F.3d 454 (5th Cir. 2004). · cites it 3× “He relies on the provision of Tex. Elec.Code § 141.001(a), in effect since January 1, 1986, stating that “[t]o be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or appointed to, a public elective office in this state, a person must: .”
In Re Guerra, 235 S.W.3d 392 (Tex. App. 2007). · cites it 2× “XVI, § 14; TEX. ELEC.CODE ANN. § 141.001(a)(5)(A) ( Vernon 2003 ); see State v.”
In Re Bazan, 251 S.W.3d 39 (Tex. 2008). · cites it 3× “2d 317, 321 (Tex.1974). The public's power to forgive, however, is not without limits.”
Perez v. State, 11 S.W.3d 218 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000). · cites it 2× “See Tex. Elec. Code Ann. § 141.001 (a)(4). The Legislature has also decided that when a county officer is convicted by a petit jury for any felony or for a misdemeanor involving official misconduct, that conviction serves as an immediate removal of that county officer from…”
In Re Lowery, 999 S.W.2d 639 (Tex. 1998). · cites it 2× “[1] See TEX.ELEC.CODE ANN. § 141.001 (Vernon 1986).”
United States v. Henry David Thomas, 991 F.2d 206 (5th Cir. 1993). “See Tex.Elec.Code Ann. § 141.001(a)(4) (West 1986).”
City of Forest Hill, Texas, & Brigette Mathis v. Michielle Benson, in Her Off. Capacity & Individually, 555 S.W.3d 284 (Tex. App. 2018). “The few cases on this subject recognize that a challenge to someone’s candidacy on a ballot (on a ground other than ineligibility, which is a different issue altogether, compare Tex. Elec. Code Ann. § 141.001 (West 2017), with id.”
State v. Fischer, 769 S.W.2d 619 (Tex. App. 1989). · cites it 2× “The relevant portions of Tex.Elec.Code Ann. § 141.001 are as follows: (a) To be eligible to be a candidate for .”
Wentworth v. Meyer, 837 S.W.2d 148 (Tex. App. 1992). · cites it 2× “TEX.ELEC.CODE ANN. § 141.001(a) (Vernon 1986).”
State v. David B. Wilson, 490 S.W.3d 610 (Tex. App. 2016). “” Tex. Elec. Code Ann. § 141.001 (5)(A) (Vernon 2010).”
— Tex. Elec. Code § 141.001(4) — 2 cases
In Re Bazan, 251 S.W.3d 39 (Tex. 2008). “2d 317, 321 (Tex.1974). The public's power to forgive, however, is not without limits.”
U.S. v. Thomas (5th Cir. 1993).
— Tex. Elec. Code § 141.001(a) — 6 cases
United States v. James Eli Huff, II, 370 F.3d 454 (5th Cir. 2004). “He relies on the provision of Tex. Elec.Code § 141.001(a), in effect since January 1, 1986, stating that “[t]o be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or appointed to, a public elective office in this state, a person must: .”
In re Perez, 508 S.W.3d 500 (Tex. App. 2016). “See Tex. Elec. Code Ann. § 141.001 (a). We are concerned here with the residence and voter registration requirements set forth in subsections (a)(5)(A) and (a)(6), respectively.”
Wentworth v. Meyer, 837 S.W.2d 148 (Tex. App. 1992). “TEX.ELEC.CODE ANN. § 141.001(a) (Vernon 1986).”
Austin Police Ass'n v. City of Austin, 71 S.W.3d 885 (Tex. App. 2002).
— Tex. Elec. Code § 141.001(a)(4) — 10 cases
United States v. James Eli Huff, II, 370 F.3d 454 (5th Cir. 2004). “He relies on the provision of Tex. Elec.Code § 141.001(a), in effect since January 1, 1986, stating that “[t]o be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or appointed to, a public elective office in this state, a person must: .”
United States v. Henry David Thomas, 991 F.2d 206 (5th Cir. 1993). “See Tex.Elec.Code Ann. § 141.001(a)(4) (West 1986).”
Perez v. State, 11 S.W.3d 218 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000). “See Tex. Elec. Code Ann. § 141.001 (a)(4). The Legislature has also decided that when a county officer is convicted by a petit jury for any felony or for a misdemeanor involving official misconduct, that conviction serves as an immediate removal of that county officer from…”
Perez v. State, 973 S.W.2d 759 (Tex. App. 1998).
Untitled Texas Attorney Gen. Opinion (Tex. Att'y Gen. 2017).
— Tex. Elec. Code § 141.001(a)(5) — 3 cases
In Re Manuel VELA, Jr., 399 S.W.3d 265 (Tex. App. 2012).
Jaime v. Patlan, 709 S.W.2d 334 (Tex. App. 1986).
in Re: Bruce Bishop (Tex. App. 2020).
— Tex. Elec. Code § 141.001(a)(5)(A) — 2 cases
In Re Guerra, 235 S.W.3d 392 (Tex. App. 2007). “XVI, § 14; TEX. ELEC.CODE ANN. § 141.001(a)(5)(A) ( Vernon 2003 ); see State v.”
State v. Fischer, 769 S.W.2d 619 (Tex. App. 1989). “The relevant portions of Tex.Elec.Code Ann. § 141.001 are as follows: (a) To be eligible to be a candidate for .”
— Tex. Elec. Code § 141.001(a)(6) — 2 cases
In re Perez, 508 S.W.3d 500 (Tex. App. 2016). “See Tex. Elec. Code Ann. § 141.001 (a). We are concerned here with the residence and voter registration requirements set forth in subsections (a)(5)(A) and (a)(6), respectively.”
in Re Dan Guillotte (Tex. App. 2022).
— Tex. Elec. Code § 141.001(c) — 1 case
LaRouche v. Hannah, 822 S.W.2d 632 (Tex. 1992).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.