Charles Rawls filed Plaintiff’s/Contestant’s Original Election Contest against Woodville ISD (WISD), Lisa Meysembourg, in her official capacity as Superintendent of WISD, and Donece Gregory, in her official capacity as County Clerk of Tyler, County (collectively, the Appellees) concerning WISD’s $47.85 million school bonds for 2022 on the May 7, 2022 election ballot.
Rawls alleged a variety of election irregularities in the bond election process. Rawls sought a declaration from the trial court stating that the administration, conduct, and manner of the early voting and election day voting for the Proposition was illegal and invalid as a matter of law.
The trial court granted Appellees’ Pleas to the Jurisdiction and Rawls appealed.
The Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that:
- WISD’s Board of Trustees ordered the bond election and WISD’s Board of Trustees was the canvassing authority for the bond election.
- Because Rawls’s suit named WISD, Meysembourg, and Gregory as contestees instead of the presiding officer of the authority that ordered the contested election or the presiding officer of the final canvassing authority for the contested election (namely, the President of WISD’s Board of Trustees), Rawls failed to comply with the statutory prerequisite to filing an election contest suit.