Overton Circuit Court Clerk Qualifying Deadline Extended To Thursday

The qualifying deadline for the Overton County Circuit Court Clerk race has been extended to Thursday at noon.

That after Incumbent Barbara Hensley Matthews withdrew her name from re-election. Election Administrator Craig Story said a state law allows the extension for those who originally did not want to run against an incumbent.

“This is actually the first time that this has happened since I have been here,” Story said. “I couldn’t tell you if it happened before or not, but not very often does something like this go on.”

Story said one person has qualified since the extension, Democratic candidate Susan Robbins. Story said the race now consists of three people: Republican Candidate Mark Dillon, Democratic Candidate Lori Hammock and Robbins.

Story said those interested in running should get to the election office as soon as possible. Story said to qualify you need 25 signatures from eligible voters before the deadline.

“We’re going to recommend to get 50 just with various circumstances,” Story said. “People they get mistaken. Maybe they moved out of the district or county and when they did, they transferred their voting registration. There are all sorts of reasons why somebody might not be registered to vote and they think they are.”

Story said the withdrawal deadline also extends with the qualifying period. This would be the last extension since only an incumbent can impact the deadlines.