By BRAD GASKINS / Staff Writer

The Shelby County Republican Party has announced preliminary details about the qualifying process for the 2012 election.

Qualifying is scheduled to open Nov. 14 and ends Jan. 13, 2012 at 5 p.m.

Information packets will be available soon, in hard copy and on the party’s website – shelbycountygop.org. Interested candidates should call county Republican headquarters at 994-6497 to schedule an appointment to submit the required forms.

The qualifying fee will equal 2 percent of the annual pay for the office for which a candidate is running. The exact amounts of the qualifying fees will be announced later.

Only candidates for countywide office should file qualifying documents with the Shelby County Republican Party.

Shelby County GOP Chairman Freddy Ard said all qualifying plans are tentative, pending approval of the county party’s executive committee at a quarterly meeting Nov. 8.

“Since our previous quarterly meeting preceded the meeting of the state party during which these dates and fees were established, that leaves less than a week between the date our committee can take official action and the scheduled opening of the qualifying period,” Ard wrote in a press release.

“While these are tentative details, I am quite certain that our executive committee will indeed officially ratify these conditions as announced,” Ard wrote, adding that candidates should plan accordingly.

County offices for the 2012 election include all nine county commission seats, probate judge, Places 1 and 2 on the Board of Education, court clerk and two Circuit Court judgeships, Places 2 and 3.

Candidates for court clerk and the two Circuit Court judgeships should file qualifying documents with the Alabama Republican Party, while all others for seeking county office should file with the Shelby County Republican Party.