HB542 Summary

• Converts state judicial elections (Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, circuit and district judges) from partisan to nonpartisan elections without party designations on ballots.

• Requires a separate "Official Nonpartisan Judicial Ballot" section listing all state judicial candidates without party symbols or affiliations.

• Candidates must file declarations of candidacy 60 days before primary elections and pay a qualifying fee equal to 2% of the annual salary for the office, with fees split equally between the two parties receiving the most votes in the previous election.

• Allows candidates to file an affidavit of indigency with the Secretary of State in lieu of paying the filing fee.

• Establishes that if a candidate receives a majority of votes in the initial nonpartisan election, they advance to the general election; if no candidate achieves a majority, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election ballot.