No person shall be eligible for appointment to, or for election to, the office of associate district judge unless he has had a minimum of two (2) years of experience as a licensed practicing attorney, or as a judge of a court of record, or a combination thereof, within the State of Oklahoma. Provided that this section shall not apply to any person who held the office of associate district judge on or before July 15, 1974.
Okla. Stat. tit. 20, § 121.1