A longtime deputy in the Christian County Clerk’s Office is now a candidate to oversee the office.
Republican Melinda Humphries told Hoptown Chronicle she planned to announce her candidacy during the Christian County Republican Party’s rally Friday night at Casey Jones Distillery.
She’ll try to succeed her boss, Democrat Mike Kem, who confirmed on Friday that he plans to retire at the end of next year and won’t seek re-election.
Humphries said she is “eager to be present, available and dedicated” to the office, the public and the employees who work in the clerk’s office at the Christian County Courthouse.
Humphries has been an employee in the clerk’s office since 2001, and during most of that time, she has served as Kem’s election coordinator. But that’s a role Humphries will not fill during the 2022 elections because she wants to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.
“I feel like it is best if I step away from elections,” Humphries said. “I don’t want anyone to have any doubts.”
Humphries said she would be a resource to other employees in the clerk’s office if they have questions about procedures or Kentucky election law, but she won’t work directly with ballots or voting machines.
A native of Christian County, Humphries earned a two-year degree in office systems technology from Eastern Kentucky University.
The clerk’s office has 15 full-time and five part-time employees. They process vehicle registrations and renewals, manage property deeds, issue marriage licenses, process passport applications and oversee elections.
Kentucky’s county clerks are elected to four-year terms.
(An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Humphries was the first candidate to announce for the county clerk’s race. Another Republican candidate, Erica Newby, created a Facebook page in early October to say she is running.)
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
