Two candidates are vying for the Oktibbeha County Court judge seat, while Lowndes County incumbent Allison Kizer is running unopposed.

Oktibbeha County Court Judge Lee Ann Turner is seeking a second term and will face Marty Haug in the November election. Haug, who currently serves as a justice court judge, submitted his qualifying paperwork Monday before the 5 p.m. deadline.

The general election will be held Nov. 3.

County court judges can hear civil cases that exceed a jurisdiction of $3,500, the maximum for justice court, but do not exceed $200,000. County court judges also preside over youth courts and hear appeals from municipal and justice courts.

Turner, a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, has practiced law since 1996, working in both private practice and as a staff attorney for chancery court judges in the district. Turner also served as a youth court referee from 2009 until taking office as a full-time county court judge in 2023.

Turner told The Dispatch on Monday she is running for re-election to “keep working with the families and children in Oktibbeha County and continuing programs that make this a great place to live and work.”

Turner and Haug previously faced each other in the November 2022 election after Gov. Tate Reeves approved the creation of the county court earlier that year.

Haug has served as a justice court judge since 2015 and has practiced law in Starkville since 2009, opening his law office in 2010. Prior to that, he spent six years as an attorney with Florida’s first judicial circuit.

Haug said he is running for the judge seat in hopes of making the county court run more efficiently.

“It’s intended to take pressure off of circuit and chancery court, and that has not been happening,” he told The Dispatch on Monday. “… I want to work toward that and (find) an efficient and effective way to run our courts, make sure it’s fair for everybody and that it does what it’s supposed to be doing.”

In Lowndes County, Kizer will retain her seat after qualifying as the only candidate for county court judge. This will mark the start of her third term in the position.

Prior to taking office in 2018, Kizer served as county prosecutor for about seven years and also worked as a Guardian Ad Litem, representing neglected and abused children in court for more than 16 years.

Although Kizer is running unopposed, an election will still be held in Lowndes County, with her name appearing as the sole candidate on the ballot.

Kizer did not return requests for comment from The Dispatch by presstime.