Alabama elects its entire legislature this year. All legislators in both houses get four-year terms. Alabama doesn’t have legislative elections in presidential election years.
This year, twelve independent candidates filed for the legislature, including one incumbent, Harri Anne Smith. Also one Constitution Party candidate filed for the legislature.
The only U.S. House petitions this year in Alabama are one from the Constitution Party in the First district, and one independent in the 7th district.
It is likely that this year, there will be a minor party or independent candidate on the November ballot for either House of Congress in all states except New Mexico and Washington state. Whether there is one in South Dakota will depend on a lawsuit that the Constitution Party is about to file. There almost certainly won’t be any candidates in Washington state because of that state’s top-two system. The problem in New Mexico is the state’s requirement of one petition for minor parties and then separate petitions for each of that party’s nominees, which is so burdensome, there are no minor party candidates in New Mexico this year above the state legislative level. However, a pending lawsuit in New Mexico could possibly put a Green Party candidate on the ballot for Congress.
A good number of Alabamians will tell you they are “independent” even if they do vote in the GOP (and sometimes)in the Democratic Primary.
If well-versed, polished, and financed Independents would run serious campaigns in Alabama, many of them would do well and ocassionally a victory could be had.
This is why I’m proudly “An Alabama Independent.”