Sec. 52.068.  OFFICE TITLE TO APPEAR ON BALLOT IF NO CANDIDATE FOR OFFICE.  (a)  If no candidate's name is to appear on the ballot for a particular office to be voted on at an election in which write-in votes for the office are permitted by law, the authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared shall have the office title printed on the ballot and shall provide a space for a write-in vote as required by this code.  However, in an election in which write-in votes may be counted only for names appearing on a list of write-in candidates, if no candidate's name is to appear on the ballot or the list of write-in candidates for a particular office, the office title is not printed on the ballot.
(b)  If the authority fails to have the office title printed on the ballot, a person may not be declared elected to the office because of write-in votes that are cast by writing in the office title and the person's name unless the total number of votes cast for all write-in candidates for that office is more than 50 percent of the total number of voters participating in the election who are eligible to vote for the office.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.  Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 472, Sec. 13, eff. Sept. 1, 1987;  Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 497, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987;  Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 62, Sec. 5.09, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.