Alabama State Auditor
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| Alabama State Auditor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $85,248 |
| 2022 FY Budget: | $853,172 |
| Term limits: | 2 terms |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 112 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder | |
| Jim Zeigler | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 8, 2022 |
| Last election: | November 6, 2018 |
| Other Alabama Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission | |
The Alabama State Auditor is a state executive position in the Alabama government. The auditor is responsible for making a report to the governor of "receipts and disbursement of every character, all claims audited and paid out, and all taxed and revenues collected."[1] The office also tracks all state non-consumable property worth $500 or more and serves on a number of state finance committees.
Current officeholder[edit]
The current state auditor is Jim Zeigler (R). He was first elected to the office on November 4, 2014.[2]
Authority[edit]
The state auditor's authority derives from Article V, Section 112 of the Alabama Constitution.
Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 112
| The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor, attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, commissioner of agriculture and industries, and a sheriff for each county. |
Qualifications[edit]
Qualifications for the office of state auditor are described in Article V, Section 132 of the state Constitution. Candidates for the office must have been a citizen of the United States for seven years, a resident of Alabama for five years and at least 25 years of age.
Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 132
| No person shall be eligible to the office of attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, or commissioner of agriculture and industries unless he shall have been a citizen of the United States at least seven years, and shall have resided in this state at least five years next preceding his election, and shall be at least twenty-five years old when elected. |
Elections[edit]
Per Section 114 of the state constitution, Alabama elects its auditors during federal midterm election years (e.g. 2018, 2022, 2026 and 2030). Section 116 sets the auditor's inauguration for the first Monday after the second Tuesday in the January following an election.
Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 114
| The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, and commissioner of agriculture and industries shall be elected by the qualified electors of the state at the same time and places appointed for the election of members of the legislature in the year nineteen hundred and two, and in every fourth year thereafter. |
Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 116
| The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, commissioner of agriculture and industries, elected after the ratification of this Constitution, shall hold their respective offices for the term of four years from the first Monday after the second Tuesday in January next succeeding their election, and until their successors shall be elected and qualified. |
Term limits[edit]
Per Amendment 282 to Article V, Section 116 of the Alabama Constitution, auditors are limited to two terms in office.[3]
2018[edit]
- See also: Alabama Auditor election, 2018
General election for Alabama Auditor
Incumbent Jim Zeigler defeated Miranda Joseph in the general election for Alabama Auditor on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Jim Zeigler (R) |
60.4
|
1,018,466 |
|
|
Miranda Joseph (D) |
39.5
|
665,679 | |
| Other/Write-in votes |
0.1
|
1,362 | ||
|
Total votes: 1,685,507 (100.00% precincts reporting) |
|||
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||||
Democratic primary for Alabama Auditor
Miranda Joseph advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama Auditor on June 5, 2018.
Candidate |
||
| ✔ |
|
Miranda Joseph |
|
||||
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||||
Republican primary for Alabama Auditor
Incumbent Jim Zeigler defeated Stan Cooke and Elliott Lipinsky in the Republican primary for Alabama Auditor on June 5, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Jim Zeigler |
55.6
|
262,153 |
|
|
Stan Cooke |
32.6
|
153,578 | |
|
|
Elliott Lipinsky |
11.8
|
55,624 | |
|
Total votes: 471,355 | |||
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2014[edit]
| Auditor of Alabama, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jim Zeigler |
62.9% | 716,122 | |
| Democratic | Miranda Joseph | 37% | 420,843 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.1% | 1,010 | |
| Total Votes | 1,137,975 | |||
| Election results via Alabama Secretary of State | ||||
Full history[edit]
To view the electoral history dating back to 2002 for the office of Alabama State Auditor, Click [show] to expand the section. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2010 On November 2, 2010, Samantha Shaw won re-election to the office of Alabama State Auditor. She defeated Miranda Joseph (D) and a write-in challenger in the general election.
2006 On November 7, 2006, Samantha Shaw won election to the office of Alabama State Auditor. She defeated Janie Clarke (D) and a write-in challenger in the general election.
2002 On November 5, 2002, Beth Chapman won election to the office of Alabama State Auditor. He defeated Carolyn Gibson (R), Franklin Reeves (Lib) and various write-in challengers in the general election.
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Vacancies[edit]
Article V, Section 136 of the Alabama Constitution requires the governor to appoint a replacement if the office of state auditor becomes vacant or if the incumbent "shall become of unsound mind." The replacement serves until the next scheduled election.[4]
Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 136
| Should the office of attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, or commissioner of agriculture and industries become vacant from any cause, the governor shall fill such vacancy until the disability is removed or a successor elected and qualified. In case any of said officers shall become of unsound mind, such unsoundness shall be ascertained by the supreme court upon the suggestion of the governor. |
Duties[edit]
The Alabama Constitution requires the state auditor to make a report to the governor every year "showing the receipts and disbursements of every character, all claims audited and paid out, by items, and all taxes and revenues collected and paid into the treasury, and the sources thereof."[5] Additionally, the auditor performs "post audits of the accounts and records of the Treasurer and ... of the Department of Finance."[1]
The auditor also serves as a member on the following state boards[1]:
- State Board of Adjustment
- State Board of Appointments for Board of Registrars
- State Board of Compromise
- Alabama Education Authority
- Penny Trust Fund
In addition, the auditor's office is responsible for tracking all non-consumable state property worth $500 or more and performs an audit of those items every two years.[1]
Divisions[edit]
As of January 5, 2021, divisions within the State Auditor's Office included:[6]
- Administrative Division
- Property Division
State budget[edit]
- See also: Alabama state budget and finances
The budget for the Alabama State Auditor in Fiscal Year 2021-2022 was $853,172.[7]
Compensation[edit]
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
The auditor's salary is fixed by law. Alabama Constitution, Article V, Section 118 of the state Constitution requires that changes in compensation take effect in the term after they were passed.
Alabama Constitution, Article V, Section 118
| The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, and commissioner of agriculture and industries, shall receive compensation to be fixed by law, which shall not be increased or diminished during the term for which they shall have been elected, and shall, except the lieutenant governor, reside at the state capital during the time they continue in office, except during epidemics. |
2020[edit]
In 2020, the auditor received a salary of $87,673 according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2019[edit]
In 2019, the auditor received a salary of $85,248 according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2018[edit]
In 2018, the auditor received a salary of $85,248 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2017[edit]
In 2017, the auditor received a salary of $85,248 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2016[edit]
In 2016, the auditor received a salary of $85,248, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2015[edit]
In 2015, the auditor received a salary $85,248, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2014[edit]
In 2014, the state auditor's salary remained at $85,248, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2013[edit]
In 2013, the state auditor's salary was $85,248, according to the Council of State Governments.
Historical officeholders[edit]
There have been 40 Alabama Auditors since 1819. Of the 40 officeholders, four were Republican, 22 were Democrat and one was a Whig.[15]
| List of Former Officeholders from 1869-Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | Party | ||
| 1 | Samuel Pickens | 1819-1829 | NA | ||
| 2 | George W. Crabb | 1829-1836 | Whig | ||
| 3 | Jefferson C. Van Dyke | 1836-1848 | NA | ||
| 4 | Joel Riggs | 1848-1855 | NA | ||
| 5 | William J. Greene | 1855-1865 | NA | ||
| 6 | Malcolm A. Chisholm | 1865-1868 | NA | ||
| 7 | Robert M. Reynolds | 1869-1872 | NA | ||
| 8 | Robert T. Smith | 1872-1876 | NA | ||
| 9 | Willis Brewer | 1876-1880 |  Democratic
| ||
| 10 | J. Malcolm Carmichael | 1880-1884 | NA | ||
| 11 | Malcolm C. Burke | 1884-1888 | NA | ||
| 12 | Cyrus D. Hogue | 1888-1892 | NA | ||
| 13 | John Purifoy | 1892-1896 | NA | ||
| 14 | Walter S. White | 1896-1900 | NA | ||
| 15 | Thomas L. Sowell | 1900-1905 | Democratic
| ||
| 16 | J. Malcolm Carmichael | 1905-1907 | NA | ||
| 17 | William W. Brandon | 1907-1911 | Democratic
| ||
| 18 | C. Brooks Smith | 1911-1915 | Democratic
| ||
| 19 | Miles C. Allgood | 1915-1919 | Democratic
| ||
| 20 | Henry F. Lee | 1919-1923 | Democratic
| ||
| 21 | William B. Allgood | 1923-1927 | Democratic
| ||
| 22 | Sidney H. Blan | 1927-1931 | Democratic
| ||
| 23 | John M. Brandon | 1931-1935 | Democratic
| ||
| 24 | Charles E. McCall | 1935-1939 | Democratic
| ||
| 25 | David H. Turner | 1939-1943 | Democratic
| ||
| 26 | John M. Brandon | 1943-1947 | Democratic
| ||
| 27 | Daniel H. Thomas, Sr. | 1947-1951 | Democratic
| ||
| 28 | John M. Brandon | 1951-1955 | Democratic
| ||
| 29 | Agnes Baggett | 1955-1959 | Democratic
| ||
| 30 | Mary Texas Hurt Garner | 1959-1963 | Democratic
| ||
| 31 | Bettye Jean (Haynes) Frink | 1963-1967 | Democratic
| ||
| 32 | Melba Till Allen | 1967-1969 | Democratic
| ||
| 33 | Betty Jean (Haynes) Frink | 1975-1983 | Democratic
| ||
| 34 | Jan Cook | 1983-1991 | Democratic
| ||
| 35 | Terry Ellis | 1991-1995 | Democratic
| ||
| 36 | Pat Duncan | 1995-1999 |  Republican
| ||
| 37 | Susan Parker | 1999-2003 | Democratic
| ||
| 38 | Beth Chapman | 2003-2007 | Republican
| ||
| 39 | Samantha Shaw | 2007-2015 | Republican
| ||
| 40 | Jim Zeigler | 2015-present | Republican
| ||
Recent news[edit]
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Alabama State Auditor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact info[edit]
Physical address:
State Capitol
Room S-101
Montgomery, AL 36130
Phone: (334) 242-7010
Fax: (334) 242-7650
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Alabama State Auditor, "About the Office," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Alabama State Auditor, "Biography," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Constitution of Alabama, "Amendment 282 to Section 116," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Constitution of Alabama, "Article V, Section 136," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Constitution of Alabama, "Article V, Section 137," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Alabama State Auditor, "Contact," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Executive Budget Office, "Executive Budget Fiscal Year 2022," accessed August 26, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Department of Archives and History, "Alabama Auditors," accessed July 25, 2013
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