Residents in Talladega and St. Clair counties, along with the rest of the state, will come out Tuesday to choose candidates for the general election in November or, in many cases, the person who will hold elective office for the next four years.Talladega County
In Talladega County, incumbent District Judge Place 2 Tommy Dobson is not seeking reelection, which means Democrat M. Ryan Rumsey will assume that office without opposition.
In the three county commission races this year, incumbent Democrat Kelvin Cunningham is unopposed on either ticket. Incumbent Democrat John F. Carter is running unopposed in the Democratic primary in June, but will face either Bobby Ray Holmes or Paul Mackey in November.
Incumbent District 1 Commissioner Ed Lackey, the only Republican on the commission, is being challenged by Democrats Robert Othan Ford and Jackie Swinford.
In the race for county Board of Education Place 4, incumbent Democrat Larry Morris will be unopposed in the primary, but will square off against Republican Randy Tankersley in the general election in November.
Incumbent Democrat Harvey Bowlin also is not seeking reelection. There are no Republicans running for that office, so Bowlin's successor will be either Jesse L. Cleveland or Sally Killough Flowers, whoever prevails in the June primary.
Democrat Michael Blackwood is unopposed in the contest for Beat 18 constable, as are Republicans Nick Trevino, M. Tyril Johns, Sam Pruitt, Ernie McClain, Shane Evers and Eddie Thomas, in beats 2, 5, 9, 12, 13 and 15, respectively.
The only constable race on the ballot in November will be the contest for Beat 11, between Democrat Ernie Brooks and Republican J. David Shaw.
St. Clair County
Across the water, in St. Clair County, all of the local races will be settled in the primary. Incumbent Circuit Judge Charles Robinson is the only Democrat running for any countywide office. He is unopposed.
The position of St. Clair County District Judge Place 2 will be on the ballot for the first time, with five Republicans qualifying for the new position. Qualifiers include Stephanie Bain, Ken Bonham, Sarah Manning Brazzolotto, Stan Brown and Robert L. Minor.
In the county races, incumbent Republican county commissioners Mike Bowling, Paul Manning and Jimmy Roberts are all unopposed, as is incumbent Republican Revenue Commissioner Elizabeth Murphree Mealer.
Both of the county board of education places up for election this year will be contested. Incumbent Republican Randy Thompson is being challenged by Laura Slezak in the Ashville/Steele District, and Allison G. Gray and David A. Nicely will square off in the Odenville District, where there is no incumbent candidate.
Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions is being challenged by Earl Mack Gavin in the Republican primary, with the winner squaring off against Vivian Davis Figures, Johnny Swanson III or Mark "No NCAA" Townsend, depending on who wins the Democratic primary.
District 3 Rep. Mike Rogers also will face a November challenge from Democrat Joshua Segal.
Incumbent Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus is unopposed in his reelection bid.
Incumbent Republican State Board of Education member Stephanie Bell faces a primary challenge from Troy W. "Skip" Smithwick Jr., with the winner of that contest facing Democrat Judy Bell West.
Voters in the primaries must vote for one party only, although Alabama does not require voters to register with a party. Voters in the general election may vote for whomever they wish.
There are no state legislative races this year.
As in other recent elections, voters will be required to present some sort of identification before being handed a ballot. Acceptable identifications include driver’s license, Social Security card or power bill with the voter’s name and address on it.
