HB340 Alabama 2011 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Charles O. Newton

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2011

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

HB340 would make circuit and district court judge elections nonpartisan, remove party designations from ballots, and require a filing fee or indigency affidavit.

What This Bill Does

HB340 would switch circuit and district court judge elections to nonpartisan. It requires candidates to file with the Secretary of State and pay a qualifying fee equal to 2% of the office's current salary, or file an affidavit of indigency (fee goes to the State General Fund). Ballots would use a separate Official Nonpartisan Judicial Ballot listing these offices, and candidates would be alphabetized by surname. If no candidate wins a majority in the nonpartisan election, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, and ties are resolved by the Chief Justice by lot.

Who It Affects

• Judicial candidates for circuit and district court judgeships must file candidacy and pay/indigent fee; no party affiliation required.
• Voters in Alabama will see a nonpartisan judicial ballot for these offices, with changes to the voting and candidate listing and potential top-two general election, and tie-breaking rules.

Key Provisions

• Nonpartisan election for circuit and district court judges.
• Filing fee equal to 2% of the office's annual salary, or an affidavit of indigency; fees go to the State General Fund.
• Ballots include an Official Nonpartisan Judicial Ballot with alphabetized candidate lists; offices may require place numbers when multiple judges are elected.
• If no candidate wins a majority in the nonpartisan election, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election; ties are decided by the Chief Justice by lot; effective date is the first day of the third month after passage.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Elections