(a) The county election officer of a county where the county chair is vacant shall contract with the state chair of a political party under the following circumstances:
  (1) There is an insufficient number of members serving on the county executive committee to fill a vacancy on the committee;
  (2) The party is unable to establish a temporary executive committee under §171.027 of the Texas Election Code; and
  (3) The election is required for the nomination of a political party to a statewide office, a multicounty district office, or a presidential primary election.
(b) The county election officer and the state chair shall enter into an election services contract consistent with §81.131 of this chapter (relating to Contracting with the County Election Officer), which, in accordance with §172.128 of the Texas Election Code, also provides that the county election officer shall be eligible to be reimbursed for primary election expenses in the same manner a county chair would be reimbursed under Subchapter D, Chapter 173.
(c) The state party shall report costs incurred consistent with this section to the SOS and receive funding consistent with this chapter.

Source Note: The provisions of this §81.135 adopted to be effective November 9, 2015, 40 TexReg 7811; amended to be effective October 29, 2017, 42 TexReg 5853