Alabama permits unqualified parties to qualify by petition in just part of the state. For some time the Alabama Libertarian Party has been circulating a petition for party status in Jefferson County, the state’s most populous county and the county that includes Birmingham. The party has been informed that its petition for 2014 county party status is valid. This will enable the party to run nominees for state legislature in districts wholly inside Jefferson County.

If the party completes a similar party petition in each of five other counties nearby, it will be entitled to run for U.S. House in 2014 in the Sixth District. The party hasn’t had any congressional nominees on the ballot since 2002, the most recent year it was a ballot-qualified party in Alabama. Thanks to Paullie for this news.