A candidate for the Alabama House this week asked the Alabama Republican Party to throw out the results of the June 21 House District 2 runoff and include her name in a new election.
Kimberly Butler in an affidavit to the ALGOP this week cited errors in ballot distribution in the May 24 primary where she was 14 votes behind the No.2 finisher.
Butler, of Florence, argues that she, not Jason Black, should have been in the runoff against Ben Harrison, who won on June 21.
“The runoff to determine the nominee was invalid, null and void … because Mr. Harrison’s opponent in that election, Jason Black, was not the proper candidate to face Mr. Harrison. I was the proper candidate …”
District 2 includes portions of Lauderdale and Limestone counties and the seat is open this year because long-time Rep. Lynn Greer did not seek reelection. Lauderdale County Probate Judge Will Motlow last week told Alabama Daily News about 70 voters were wrongly assigned to House District 1 instead of House District 2. He said the voters prior to last year’s redrawing of district lines had been in District 1.
The ALGOP on Thursday confirmed it received Butler’s contest. It did not say whether it planned to hear the challenge.
Butler is the third Alabama House candidate to say her race was effected by mistakes after the 2021 redrawing of district lines. Officials in Etowah County said there were ballot distribution errors in House Districts 28 and 29 during the May 24 primary. The primary losers contested the results, but the ALGOP decided on June 25 to let the original results stand.