Texas Election Code - ELEC § 242.003. Contest for Office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor

(a) This section applies only to a contest for the office of governor or lieutenant governor.

(b) For purposes of a contest under this section, the date the official result of the contested election is determined is the date the governor completes the state canvass.  The official result is determined from the tabulation of the election returns prepared by the secretary of state, except as provided by Subsection (d).

(c) The secretary of state shall deliver a certified copy of the tabulation to each of the presiding officers.

(d) The committee to which the contest is referred may treat the tabulation as correct until the speaker of the house of representatives opens and publishes the official election returns.  If a discrepancy exists between the tabulation and the speaker's official count that might be material to a determination of the contest, the committee shall investigate the discrepancy to ascertain, if possible, the correct vote count.