To be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy for and to serve as a district court judge, a person must:
(1) Be a registered voter of the district court district and electoral district, if any; and
(2) Be either:
(a) A lawyer admitted to practice law in the state of Washington; or
(b) In those districts having a population of less than five thousand persons, a person who has taken and passed by January 1, 2003, the qualifying examination for a lay candidate for judicial officer as provided by rule of the supreme court.