HB620 Alabama 2010 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Charles O. Newton

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2010

Title

Judges, circuit and district, nonpartisan election, filing fee, Secs. 17-6-20, 17-6-24, 17-6-25, 17-13-8 am'd.

Summary

HB620 would move circuit and district court judge elections to nonpartisan ballots, require a filing fee (or indigency affidavit), and establish a dedicated nonpartisan ballot for judges.

What This Bill Does

It changes the law to have nonpartisan elections for circuit and district court judgeships and removes party designations from these ballots. It requires candidates to pay a qualifying fee equal to two percent of the state's annual salary for the office, deposited into the State General Fund, or to file an affidavit of indigency in lieu of the fee. It creates an Official Nonpartisan Judicial Ballot with a separate nonpartisan column listing all judicial candidates and no party symbols, and it sets the order and design of offices on the ballot. It outlines primary and general election procedures (top two to the general when more than one candidate runs; names still appear on the general ballot even if one candidate; tie breaks by lot; and offices are counted separately), along with rules for multi-seat elections and declarations of candidacy without party designation.

Who It Affects

• Candidates for circuit or district court judgeships: must file candidacy, pay a two percent qualifying fee of the office's annual salary (or file an affidavit of indigency instead), and run in a nonpartisan election with their names on a nonpartisan ballot and no party designation.
• Voters in Alabama: will vote on an Official Nonpartisan Judicial Ballot for circuit/district court judges, seeing no party emblems for these offices and following the new ballot design and office order.

Key Provisions

• Nonpartisan election for circuit and district court judgeships; no party designation on ballots for these offices.
• Filing requirement: candidate must pay a qualifying fee equal to two percent of the state's annual salary for the judicial office, deposited to the State General Fund, or may file an affidavit of indigency in lieu of the fee.
• Creation of an Official Nonpartisan Judicial Ballot; a separate nonpartisan column listing all judicial candidates; no party devices on this ballot; offices listed with titles printed.
• Primary/general election rules for judges: if multiple candidates, top two advance to the general; if only one candidate files, their name appears on the general ballot; tie-breaks by lot determined by the Chief Justice if needed; each place is counted separately in multi-seat elections.
• Ballot design and placement: offices are listed in a defined order (Circuit Court Judge first, then District Court Judge); multi-seat elections designate places by numbers; a candidate cannot file for more than one place.
• Declaration and party designation: candidates may not designate any party affiliation in their candidacy declaration; the filing fee or indigency affidavit rules apply.
• Effective date: the act takes effect on the first day of the third month after its passage and governor's approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Elections