Alabama election recap, 2012
November 16, 2012
Alabama: Though over 200 candidates competed in judicial races in Alabama last week, for many the fate of the state judiciary came down to just two - those competing for the position of Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. From a historic perspective, it is unsurprising that Republican candidate Roy Moore was elected. What is surprising is the narrow margin with which he won. Though all counties have not reported results, the Alabama Secretary of State shows Moore won with 51.85 percent of the vote.[1]
Of course, there were four other races for the Supreme Court; in all Republicans were elected after running unopposed. Same for the Court of Civil Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals, where a total six incumbent Republicans were re-elected in uncontested races.
The majority of races in Alabama this fall occurred in the trial courts, the Circuit Courts and District Courts. A total of 183 candidates competed in 113 races. All told, 78 percent of those races were unopposed. More specifically, 72 percent of Circuit Court races were uncontested, while 85 percent of District Court candidates were unopposed.
As for incumbents up for re-election, only 11 percent were voted out of office. Also, 30 new judges were elected to the trial courts last week, which is only 16 percent of total candidates.
For more information on this year's judicial elections in Alabama, see: Alabama judicial elections, 2012.
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