Section 17-13-5 Filing of Declaration of Candidacy; Certification of Names of Candidates; Preparation of Ballots; Unopposed Candidates.

(a) All candidates for nomination to public office or for election to party office in the primary election provided for in this chapter shall file their declaration of candidacy with the state party chair if they seek any federal, state, circuit, or district office, or the state Senate, House of Representatives, or any other office that is not a county office not later than 5:00 P.M. 116 days before the date of the primary election. All candidates for nomination or election to a county office shall file their declaration with the county party chair not later than 5:00 P.M. 116 days before the date of the primary election. (b) The state party chair shall, no later than 5:00 P.M. 82 days before the primary election, certify the names of all primary election candidates, except candidates for county offices, to the Secretary of State. The county party chair shall, not later than 5:00 P.M. 82 days prior to the date of the primary election, certify to the judge of probate the names of all candidates for nomination to county offices or election to county party offices. The Secretary of State shall, not less than 74 days prior to the date of the primary election, certify to the judge of probate of every county in which the election is to be held the names of the opposed candidates for nomination to federal, state, circuit, or district offices, the state Senate, House of Representatives, and all other opposed candidates to public or party office, except candidates for county offices. (c) The judge of probate of each county shall have the ballots prepared for the primary election. If a legally qualified candidate for nomination to an office is unopposed when the last date for filing declarations of candidacy has passed, his or her name shall not appear on the ballots to be used in the primary election, and he or she shall be the nominee of the party with which he or she has qualified for the office. If a legally qualified candidate for election to a party office is unopposed when the last date for filing declarations of candidacy has passed, his or her name shall not appear on the ballots to be used in the primary election, and he or she shall be declared elected to the party office for which he or she qualified.