Butler announces House write-in campaign after failed election challenge

Kimberly Butler has launched a write-in campaign for House District 2.

The Lauderdale County Republican announced on Facebook on Monday that in response to the Alabama Republican Party’s candidate committee turning down her challenge to the district’s primary results, because of ballot issues, she was encouraging voters in the district to write her name in. 

“(Alabama Republican) leadership decided to not hear my case and therefore silenced the voters of Lauderdale and Limestone county,” Butler wrote in a Facebook post. “The Republican Party has effectively chosen your next state house representative.

“I have decided that the best way to give you your voice back is to simply run a ‘write-in’ campaign.” 

Butler finished third in the GOP primary, falling 14 votes short of second place Jason Black. Ben Harrison, who won both the primary and the runoff, finished nearly 200 votes in front of Black in the primary. 

ALGOP confirmed Harrison’s victory and denied Butler’s challenge. 

That challenge centered on a familiar theme – voters being given the wrong ballots because of new district lines. In the District 2 case, Butler claimed she knew of at least 70 voters who should have been in District 2 but who weren’t allowed to vote in the House race. Instead, they were given District 1 House ballots. 

Butler said she presented ALGOP with signed affidavits from 42 of those voters, all of whom said they would have voted for Butler. 

Still, the ALGOP committee denied her challenge. 

Butler told al.com that there could be retribution from the party for announcing a write-in campaign against another Republican. She said she’s heard talk of being asked to resign from her seat on the Lauderdale County Republican executive committee, although she’s skeptical that will happen.