NORTHEAST ALABAMA — Alabamians in State Senate District 10 will get their opportunity to vote for Jesse Battles in the November general election after the candidate officially secured ballot access as an independent candidate.
Battles, who was removed from the Republican primary ballot earlier this year, launched a hard-fought petition campaign encouraged by supporters across Northeast Alabama in an effort to gather enough signatures to qualify for the November general election ballot.
WEIS News learned Monday that Battles has officially won that effort and will appear on the November ballot against incumbent Senator Andrew Jones.
WEIS Radio spoke with Battles Monday afternoon, and he provided the following statement, which was also shared on his social media pages:
“Today belongs to the people of the district: the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office has confirmed that our campaign has officially earned ballot access for the November 3rd General Election.
Since announcing our campaign more than a year ago, we have had one mission: to work every day to make Northeast Alabama the best place to live, work, and raise a family.
Over the past year, we have built a true grassroots campaign focused on the hardworking people of Northeast Alabama. We have traveled our district, listened to families, neighbors, business owners, and community leaders, and kept our focus on the issues that matter most.
This campaign has never been about political insiders or special interests. It has always been about the people of Northeast Alabama and the future we can build together.
We’re just getting started, and we need your vote on November 3rd. Together, we can build a stronger future for Northeast Alabama and make our region the best place to live, work, and raise a family.
Vote Jesse Battles for State Senate, District 10.”
Battles was removed from the Republican primary ballot by the Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee in mid-February 2026 following a formal ballot challenge.
The challenge alleged Battles violated Alabama Republican Party bylaws prohibiting members from supporting non-Republican candidates. Specifically, the steering committee reviewed claims that Battles acted as a political consultant for former Alabama House Democratic Minority Leader Craig Ford during Ford’s independent State Senate campaign in 2018.
Battles maintained throughout the controversy that he did not violate any party rules and argued the allegations involved activity outside the party’s standard six-year lookback window used in qualification disputes. However, the 21-member steering committee asserted it had the authority to review conduct outside that timeframe and ultimately voted to remove him from the Republican ballot.
Following his removal from the GOP primary, Battles announced he would continue his campaign as an independent candidate in the November 2026 general election.
In previous coverage by WEIS News, Battles said his campaign had been built through conversations with residents across Northeast Alabama and focused on issues impacting local communities, economic development, and representation in Montgomery.
As part of the independent qualification process, Battles launched a petition drive requiring supporters to sign official forms in wet ink in order for signatures to be considered valid under Alabama election requirements.
Petition locations were established throughout the district, including El Tapatio 2 in Gadsden, Waffle King in Centre, and MagsPies in Gallant, while campaign volunteers continued collecting signatures across Northeast Alabama in the months following his removal from the Republican ballot.
With ballot access now officially confirmed through the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, Battles will move forward into the November general election campaign against incumbent Senator Andrew Jones in one of Northeast Alabama’s closely watched legislative races.
Senate District 10 includes portions of Etowah, Cherokee, and DeKalb counties.
