Alabama House District 52 holds special election: Here’s what to know

Voters in Birmingham will choose nominees for House District 52 today. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Voters in the Birmingham area go to the polls Tuesday to choose nominees for special elections for the state House.

Six Democratic candidates and one Republican are running in the special election. A run-off, if needed, will be held July 16. The general election is scheduled for Oct. 1.

Candidates are largely focused on similar issues, such as education and health care. Read about the candidates here.

When do polls open?

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Where do I find my polling place?

The Alabama Secretary of State’s website allows you to check voter registration and the location of your polling place. You can find it here.

What do I need to vote?

Voters must present a valid photo ID before voting. Valid forms of ID include:

Alabama driver’s license (not expired or expired less than 60 days)
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency digital driver’s license
Alabama Non-Driver ID (not expired or expired less than 60 days)
Alabama Photo Voter ID card
State-issued ID (Alabama or any other state)
Federal-issued ID
U.S. Passport
Employee ID from the federal government; state of Alabama; county; municipality, board or other entity of Alabama
Student or employee ID from a public or private post-secondary educational institution in Alabama or other states (including colleges, universities, postgraduate technical and professional schools)
Digital student or employee ID from a public or private post-secondary educational institution in Alabama or other states (including colleges, universities, postgraduate technical and professional schools)
Military ID
Tribal ID

Where is the district located?

The Birmingham-area House district includes a section of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and parts of Fairfield and Homewood.

How did the seat become vacant?

The seat was held by Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, who agreed to plead guilty to charges of wire and mail fraud and obstruction of justice and resign from the House in March. He was accused of directing hundreds of thousands of dollars for public projects in Jefferson County to a youth baseball league, with a portion of the money being kicked back to an assistant and former romantic partner. Rogers, first elected in 1982, was the longest serving representative in the chamber.

Does the seat have a partisan lean?

The seat is likely to favor a Democratic candidate. The last time a Republican ran in the district was in 2014, when Rogers got almost 77% of the vote against Republican nominee Phillip Bahakel, an attorney.

What issues dominate the race?

In separate interviews, candidates focused on education, health care and community safety.

Multiple candidates identified education as a primary issue for multiple candidates. Increased teachers’ pay, reduced classroom sizes, and funding for arts and music programs was a priority for at least one candidate who advocated for investments in public schools over prison systems. Another candidate said targeted program funding is needed to train individuals for health care roles.

Access to health care was also an issue. Candidates said they would advocate for Medicaid expansion or exploring other solutions, citing economic benefits and improved access to health care for district residents. One candidate called for publicly funded health care for all, emphasizing the necessity of comprehensive Medicaid support.

Candidates also seemed concerned about community safety. Most candidates said there was a need for safer communities, with some tying safety to economic development and educational progress. Some candidates suggested creative efforts to curb crime, such as empowering university law enforcement or a rental property inspection program to address blighted properties.

What happens after today?

If no candidate in the Democratic primary gets 50% of the vote, a runoff for the party nomination will take place on July 16 between the top two vote-getters.

If a Democratic candidate gets at least 50% of the vote, that candidate will face Republican Carlos Crum in the Oct. 1 general election.

Will the results alter control of the Legislature?

No. Republicans currently hold 76 of the 105 seats in the lower chamber and 27 of the 35 seats in the upper chamber.

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