A rumor is floating around LaFayette that an independent candidate is being sought to run against Walker County commissioner Bebe Heiskell in the Nov. 6 election.

Heiskell won re-election by 213 votes during the general primary Tuesday against Paul Shaw, a LaFayette physician. There are no Democratic challengers.

Elections supervisor Barbara Berry today confirmed that someone contacted the elections office Wednesday, the day after the election, to ask about requirements for an independent candidate for the Nov. 6 ballot. Berry did not identify the individual, but did say it was not Shaw.

To be listed as an Independent Party candidate on the ballot, a person would have to gather signatures from 1,799 registered voters, which is five percent of the registered voters from the 2008 general election. The qualifying fee would have to be paid by noon Friday, Aug. 3, and the signatures would have to be turned in by noon Monday, Aug. 6, Berry said.

For an individual to be eligible as a write-in candidate, they would have to register with the secretary of state’s office in Atlanta by Sept. 4, Berry said.

Shaw is not eligible to become either a write-in candidate since he has already had his chance or an Independent Party candidate since he cannot switch parties, she said.