Alabama will hold a special election for U.S. House, First District, in late 2013. Congressman Jo Bonner says he will resign from Congress in August 2013, so the state hasn’t formally set the special election yet. However, it is already known that any independent candidate, or any nominee of a party other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, will need 5,938 signatures. Minor party petitions in Alabama need not list the name of the nominee; the petition merely mentions the party. Therefore, any party that wishes to enter this race is free to be petitioning now to get on the ballot. For independent candidates, though, the petition must list the candidate.

No minor party or independent candidate for U.S. House has been on the Alabama ballot since 2010, when the Constitution Party placed a nominee on the ballot in this very same district. That candidate, David Walter, polled 17.0% against Congressman Bonner. No Democrat ran in the 2010 race.