Alabama House of Representatives District 42
Alabama House of Representatives District 42 is represented by Ivan Smith (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Alabama state representatives represented an average of 47,905 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 45,743 residents.
About the office
Elected officials are not subjected to term limits and Alabama House members are one of only five lower house officials in the United States that are elected every four years. Alabama's state representatives assume office the day following their election.[1][2]
Qualifications
Members of the Alabama State House must be 21 years old at the time of their election, registered voters, U.S. citizens for at least one day, residents of the State of Alabama for at least three years, and residents of their district at least one year prior to the general election.[2]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $59,674.08/year | No per diem is paid to legislators whose permanent residence is less than six hours away. Legislators who are 6-12 hrs from their permanent residence receive $12.75/day. Legislators who are over 12 hours away and have no overnight stay receive $34/day. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Alabama State Legislature, a special election must generally be conducted in order to fill the vacant seat. In the event that a vacancy occurs on or after October 1 in the year of a regular election, the seat will remain vacant until filled at the regular election. Otherwise, the governor must call for a special election if the vacancy happens before the next scheduled general election and the Legislature is in session.[4][5][6] The governor has all discretion in setting the date of the election along with the nominating deadlines.[6][7]
See sources: Alabama Code § 17-15-1
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
On August 22, 2025, the district court struck down the state senate map as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.[8]
Alabama enacted state legislative maps for the state Senate and House of Representatives on Nov. 4, 2021, after Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed the proposals into law.[9] Senators approved the Senate map on Nov. 1 with a 25-7 vote.[10] Representatives approved the Senate map on Nov. 3 with a 76-26 vote.[9] For the House proposal, representatives voted 68-35 in favor on Nov. 1 and senators followed on Nov. 3 with a 22-7 vote.[11] These maps took effect for Alabama's 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Alabama work? The Alabama State Legislature is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a single redistricting plan. State legislative district lines must be approved in the first legislative session following the United States Census. There is no statutory deadline for congressional redistricting. The governor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.[12]
The Alabama Constitution requires that state legislative district lines be contiguous. In addition, the state constitution mandates that state Senate districts "follow county lines except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements."[12]
In 2000, according to All About Redistricting, the legislative committee charged with redistricting "adopted guidelines ... asking that [congressional] districts be contiguous, reasonably compact, follow county lines where possible, and maintain communities of interest to the extent feasible." In addition, the committee agreed to "attempt to avoid contests between incumbents." Similar guidelines apply to state legislative redistricting. At its discretion, the state legislature may change these guidelines, which are non-binding.[12]
Alabama House of Representatives District 42
until November 8, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Alabama House of Representatives District 42
starting November 9, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2022
General election
General election for Alabama House of Representatives District 42
Incumbent Ivan Smith defeated Doug Ward in the general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 42 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ivan Smith (R) | 92.8 | 12,336 |
 | Doug Ward (L)  | 7.0 | 931 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 33 | ||
| Total votes: 13,300 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Ivan Smith advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 42.
2019
A special election for District 42 of the Alabama House of Representatives took place on November 5, 2019. A primary was held on August 20, 2019. The general election was originally scheduled for January 20, 2020. Becuase primary runoffs weren't necessary, the general election date was changed to November 5, 2019. The filing deadline for major party candidates was June 18, 2019. Independent and minor party candidates had until August 20, 2019, to file.[13]
The seat became vacant when James Martin (R) died on May 31, 2019.[14]
General election
Special general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 42
Ivan Smith defeated Kenneth Allison Sr. in the special general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 42 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ivan Smith (R) | 87.9 | 2,492 |
| Kenneth Allison Sr. (D) | 11.4 | 322 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 21 | ||
| Total votes: 2,835 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Kenneth Allison Sr. advanced from the special Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 42.
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 42
Ivan Smith defeated Jimmie Hardee, Allen Caton, and Shannon Welch in the special Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 42 on August 20, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ivan Smith | 52.6 | 1,660 |
| Jimmie Hardee | 19.2 | 605 | ||
| Allen Caton | 16.5 | 519 | ||
| Shannon Welch | 11.7 | 370 | ||
| Total votes: 3,154 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for Alabama House of Representatives District 42
Incumbent James Martin won election in the general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 42 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | James Martin (R) | 98.7 | 12,412 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.3 | 159 | ||
| Total votes: 12,571 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 42
Incumbent James Martin defeated Jimmie Hardee in the Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 42 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Martin | 59.3 | 5,044 |
| Jimmie Hardee | 40.7 | 3,468 | ||
| Total votes: 8,512 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
Elections for the Alabama House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014; a runoff election took place where necessary on July 15, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 7, 2014. James Martin defeated incumbent Kurt Wallace in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[15][16][17][18]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
 James Martin |
50.6% | 4,624 |
| Kurt Wallace Incumbent | 49.4% | 4,507 |
| Total Votes | 9,131 | |
2010
Elections for the office of Alabama House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on June 1, 2010, and a general election on November 2, 2010. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 2, 2010. Kurt Wallace defeated incumbent James Martin (D) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in the June 1 primary elections.[19][20][21]
| Alabama House of Representatives District , General Election 42, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Kurt Wallace |
63.2% | 9,382 | |
| Democratic | James Martin | 36.8% | 5,452 | |
| Total Votes | 14,834 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2022, candidates for Alabama House of Representatives District 42 raised a total of $1,299,379. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $76,434 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Alabama House of Representatives District 42 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $74,601 | 2 | $37,300 |
| 2019 | $124,035 | 4 | $31,009 |
| 2018 | $124,335 | 2 | $62,167 |
| 2014 | $369,185 | 2 | $184,593 |
| 2010 | $312,208 | 2 | $156,104 |
| 2008 | $486 | 1 | $486 |
| 2006 | $177,485 | 2 | $88,743 |
| 2002 | $117,045 | 2 | $58,523 |
| Total | $1,299,379 | 17 | $76,434 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Justia, "Alabama Constitution, Article IV, Section 46," accessed November 22, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Alabama State Legislature, "The Alabama House of Representatives," accessed December 12, 2013 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "house" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Alabama Amendment 4, Legislative Vacancies Amendment (2018)," accessed March 28, 2025
- ↑ Justia US Law, "2023 Code of Alabama Title 17 - Elections. Chapter 15 - Special Elections. Section 17-15-1 - When and for What Offices Held." accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Justia US Law, "2023 Code of Alabama Title 17 - Elections. Chapter 15 - Special Elections. Section 17-15-3 - Special Elections Ordered by Governor." accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ Alabama Legislature, "Constitution of Alabama 2022," accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ Alabama Reflector, "Federal judge: Alabama Senate map violates Voting Rights Act," August 22, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Montgomery Advertiser, "Gov. Kay Ivey signs off on Alabama congressional, legislative, SBOE maps for 2022," Nov. 4, 2021
- ↑ Alabama Political Reporter, "Alabama Senate passes Senate, State School Board districts," Nov. 1, 2021
- ↑ Alabama Political Report, "House district lines comfortably pass House over objections from both sides ," Nov. 1, 2021
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 All About Redistricting, "Alabama," accessed April 16, 2015
- ↑ AL.com, "Gov. Kay Ivey sets special election to fill Jimmy Martin’s House seat," June 11, 2019
- ↑ Montgomery Advertiser, "Veteran state lawmaker Jimmy Martin dies," May 31, 2019
- ↑ Alabama Democrats, "Qualified candidates for public office list," accessed February 27, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Republican Party, "State Senate," accessed February 27, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Official Democratic Primary Results," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Official Republican Primary Results," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "State of Alabama 2010 Certified General Election Results," November 2, 2010
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Democratic Primary results," November 21, 2013
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Republican Primary results," November 21, 2013
