While this won't come into play in May's primaries, voters in Baldwin County will encounter something they usually don't see on their November midterm ballots.

There will be six races with more than one candidate to choose from. Democrats will be challenging GOP candidates for U.S. Congress, three Alabama State Legislature seats and two Baldwin County Commission spots.

Clyde Jones, of Daphne, is running for the U.S. House of Representative's First Congressional District. The Republicans vying for their party's nomination for the seat are Jerry Carl, James "Jimmy" Dees, Rhett Marques, Joshua McKee, John Mills, James Richardson and Austin Sidwell.

Ashley Sharpe, of Loxley, is running for the state Senate's District 22 seat and will face either Sen. Greg Albritton or Terry L. Waters.

Janet Appleby, of Gulf Shores, is running for the state Senate's District 32 seat and will face either Sen. Chris Elliott or Mike Vandenheuvel.

Terri Osbrne, of Daphne, is running for District 96 in the state House of Representatives. The GOP nomination is between Danielle Duggar and Rep. Matt Simpson.

Roy Browning, of Robertsdale, will face either Kevin Brock or incumbent Billie Jo Underwood in the race for Baldwin County Commission District 3.

Drew Arredondo, of Foley, will face either Brett Gaar, Tracey Gambill or John "Tater" Harris for Baldwin County Commission District 4.

"Giving voters a choice is more important than ever in these troubling times when we see Alabama families trying to decide whether to pay their rent, take their child to the doctor or buy groceries," said Robyn Monaghan, Baldwin County Democrats executive chair. "The GOP lawmakers who have dominated state politics for decades fall in lockstep with the Trump administration's repressive schemes and make them a reality in our lives right here in Baldwin County."

Monaghan referred to HB13, now working its way through the legislature. The bill allows state and local agencies to enter into agreements with ICE to enforce immigration laws. It empowers officers to arrest people based on probable cause of living in the U.S. without legal status and allows officers to take people to detention centers.

"I cannot sit back with a bucket of popcorn and do nothing while Alabama is going to Hell in a hand cart," said Janet Appleby, candidate for District 32 in the Senate. "I can't prevent people from falling through the cracks, but I can cushion the landing."

The only local lawmaker currently signed on as a sponsor of the bill, which was read for the second time and placed on the calendar Jan. 29, is District 94's Jennifer Fidler. She is not facing opposition in either the party primary or by a Democrat in November.

State lawmakers continue to oppose bills that could make everyday family's lives better like expanding Medicaid, supporting public education and providing affordable childcare, Monaghan said. They promote measures restricting women from reproductive health care, making it harder for people to vote and cutting the time limit to receive unemployment, she said.

Monaghan said county-level candidates are running on a platform of "honoring the environment over developers and making sure infrastructure like schools, sewers, police and roads keep pace with rapid growth in Baldwin County. They pledge to support free-reading public library policies."

"I represent a new generation of leadership committed to protecting and working with the people of Baldwin County," county commission District 4 candidate Drew Arredondo said. "That means standing against reckless and unvetted growth that benefits developers at the expense of our environment and current residents."

District 4 residents — South Baldwin from Foley, Elberta and Magnolia Springs to the beach — will have a new face representing them once the November midterm election concludes, as Commissioner Charles F. "Skip" Gruber, currently serving his fifth term, is not seeking reelection.

As none of these Democrats are contested in their party primary, they will appear on the general ballot in November. As previously reported by GCM, May's Democratic primary ballot will have contested races for governor and both federal offices of U.S. Senate and the House's First Congressional District.

Republican nominees for secretary of state, agriculture commissioner, Seat 8 on the state supreme court and District 22 in the state Senate will face Democrats who are running unopposed in their primary.

All other Republican primary nominees will run unopposed in November, alongside Democrat state Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, who is not facing a candidate on either side.

Registered voters in Alabama do not have to declare a party and can choose either party's ballot during a primary. If a runoff is necessary — when no one receives a majority of votes, a scenario possible when there are three or more candidates — voters can participate in the same party's runoff as they did in the regular primary. Those who did not vote in the regular primary can choose either party's runoff in which they vote.