By Associated Press
Prattville, AL – A judge in Autauga County says a lawsuit seeking to remove four Democratic state senators from the ballot must be moved to Montgomery County. Circuit Judge Ben Fuller ruled Wednesday afternoon that venue is not proper in Autauga County. Democratic Party attorneys had argued that the capitol city was the proper place for the case to be heard. The suit was brought by former Republican attorney general candidate Mark Montiel on behalf of an Autauga County resident. It named Autauga County's Republican probate judge and Alabama's Democratic secretary of state as defendants, but it was not filed against the four senators it seeks to remove from the ballot. The suit argues that the four senators should be removed from the ballot for not filing campaign finance reports during the primary election in June, when they had no opposition. The suit seeks to disqualify Senate President Pro Tem Lowell Barron of Fyffe, Senate Majority Leader Zeb Little of Cullman, and Senate budget committee chairmen Hank Sanders of Selma and Roger Bedford of Russellville.