# 2018 Rowan County (KY) County Clerk election **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 7, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998 "2017-11-07T20:57:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/1 "2017-11-07T20:57:58Z")
[Kim Davis will seek re-election](https://apnews.com/1eff9d01cdf64713ab79d73bcd1986d9/APNewsBreak:-Anti-gay-marriage-clerk-to-seek-re-election). > [@](#): > > The Kentucky county clerk jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples will run for re-election in 2018, facing voters for the first time since her protest against gay marriage launched a national uproar from rural Appalachia. > > An attorney for Kim Davis confirmed she will seek a second term. Filing for Kentucky’s 2018 election cycle opens Wednesday. > [@](#): > > Davis stopped issuing marriage licenses in 2015 after a U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Five couples sued her, and a judge ordered her to issue the licenses. Davis refused and spent five days in jail. > > When she was released, she altered the marriage license form so it would not include her name. The state’s Democratic governor at the time agreed to recognize the licenses. The state legislature then changed the law so clerks did not have to sign their name on the licenses. > [@](#): > > Lincoln Caudill, vice chairman for the Rowan County Democratic Party, said no one has announced they will challenge Davis yet. Caudill plans to run for judge-executive, the county’s top elected position. > > “I know (Davis has) created a controversy in the county and the farthest I can stay from giving an opinion on it, that’s what I plan to do,” he said. What a coward; I hope not everyone in Rowan County is so disposed. The question now is “who will step up?” ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/2 "2017-11-08T13:01:29Z")
One could be snarky and say that first, one must find someone who wants to live in Rowan County so they can run for office…but, actually, it is a nice spot and makes a good living off the college and the Interstate. The thing is, there are almost 3 times as many registered D’s there than R’s. I suspect the D’s aren’t much of the ‘liberal’ variety, though. Whoever is running has to acknowledge that the law is the law and that denying any American their rights based on your own religious beliefs is contrary to the Constitution of both the US and Kentucky. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/3 "2017-11-08T15:33:58Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > One could be snarky and say that first, one must find someone who wants to live in Rowan County so they can run for office Sure, the law says the Rowan County Clerk must live in Rowan County but what if my religious beliefs prohibit me from living in Kentucky? I feel I should be allowed to serve as Rowan County Clerk and collect my paycheck while living here in New York. I’m sure the people in Rowan County can figure out some alternative that accommodates my belief. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/4 "2017-11-09T04:34:46Z")
From my North Carolina base of operations, where I have formulated my policy regarding marriage, based on the rapid overpopulation of the planet, I have determined to be elected to every county clerk position in the USA where I will use my power to prevent marriage between men and women. Of course, if men and women agree to sterilization prior to marriage, they will be allowed marriage licenses. Any child born out of wedlock, of course, will be sent to the nearest hospital where they will be used for spare parts for those who can afford it. Seriously, you abide by the law, or you resign your office. You just can’t make up or decide on your own which laws you will and will not observe. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/5 "2017-11-09T17:01:42Z")
Quite so. From JFK’s masterful 1960 speech on the separation of church and state: “…if the time should ever come — and I do not concede any conflict to be even remotely possible — when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office; and I hope any conscientious public servant would do the same.” > **[Transcript: JFK's Speech on His Religion](https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16920600)** > > On Sept. 12, 1960, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy gave a major speech to a group of Protestant ministers in Houston on the issue of his Catholic faith. The following is a transcript of Kennedy's speech. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/6 "2017-11-09T17:38:33Z")
Is this the first county clerk election that may receive national attention? Can I legally contribute to Ermold’s campaign? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/7 "2017-11-09T18:21:59Z")
That stupid job pays almost $80,000 a year!!! I’m not one that whines incessantly about overpaid and underworked government employees, but I’d certainly run for that office for that amount of salary. $80,000 would be a nice salary for a clerical job in Chicago, it seem exorbitant for a rural Kentucky county. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/8 "2017-11-10T02:09:20Z")
Ummm…being a County Clerk is a bit more than just a “clerical job”. It’s a supervisory position. Here in not-large Leon County, the County Clerk probably has in excess of 100 employees and a multi-million dollar budget. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/9 "2017-11-10T03:13:50Z")
just for a little surrealism in the world of County Clerks, Here is the latest story of one from the Detroit area. > **[Macomb's embattled clerk gets judge's deadline — and misses — demand to clean...](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/11/09/macombs-embattled-county-clerk-gets-judges-deadline-today-clean-up-big-backlog/849331001/)** > > Elected in her county's Trump landslide, the anti-union Macomb County clerk says she has had little cooperation from about 100 union employees. Basically a pure nutcase “Gubmint is bad” type who lied and ran in a county she didn’t live in, and is trying to shut down government entirely by herself, by refusing to do any element of the job. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/10 "2017-11-10T04:01:22Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > just for a little surrealism in the world of County Clerks, Here is the latest story of one from the Detroit area. > > [Macomb's top judge says county clerk must end her backlog immediately](http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/11/09/macombs-embattled-county-clerk-gets-judges-deadline-today-clean-up-big-backlog/849331001/) > > Basically a pure nutcase “Gubmint is bad” type who lied and ran in a county she didn’t live in, and is trying to shut down government entirely by herself, by refusing to do any element of the job. That woman is nuts. And this isn’t some podunk northern Michigan county-- it’s the third largest in the state! She’s essentially shut down the clerk’s office of the third most-populous county in Michigan by…literally doing nothing. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/11 "2017-11-10T12:45:03Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > That woman is nuts. And this isn’t some podunk northern Michigan county-- it’s the third largest in the state! She’s essentially shut down the clerk’s office of the third most-populous county in Michigan by…literally doing nothing. Reminds me of Melville’s classic American short story, [Bartleby the Scrivener](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartleby,_the_Scrivener). Something deep in the American psyche going on here, one might posit. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/12 "2017-11-10T13:34:43Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Reminds me of Melville’s classic American short story, [Bartleby the Scrivener](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartleby,_the_Scrivener). Something deep in the American psyche going on here, one might posit. Reminds _me_ of Ron Swanson. Do you think she took _Parks And Recreation_ for an actual documentary? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/13 "2017-11-10T13:43:26Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > That woman is nuts. And this isn’t some podunk northern Michigan county-- it’s the third largest in the state! She’s essentially shut down the clerk’s office of the third most-populous county in Michigan by…literally doing nothing. There’s increasingly an element of the right wing that believes in political nihilism, a kind of go in and just “break stuff” mentality. We absolutely see it in Trumpism, but we’re seeing it in people like Spranger as well. It used to be that Republicans were for limited government; now they’re for demolishing all institutions so that private institutions and local institutions can prevail and impose their own standards - usually standards that are inconsistent with humanity. The Bundy trials are another example: a rejection of the federal police power. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2017, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/14 "2017-11-11T01:55:16Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Ummm…being a County Clerk is a bit more than just a “clerical job”. It’s a supervisory position. Here in not-large Leon County, the County Clerk probably has in excess of 100 employees and a multi-million dollar budget. I’d be quite interested in knowing more about the responsibilities of the job. I lived in Leon County, Florida while attending FSU. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/15 "2017-12-07T05:26:51Z")
She’s drawn at least one opponent - and they’ve dealt with each other before: [https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/12/06/gay-man-to-run-against-kentucky-clerk-who-denied-him-marriage-license/23299526/](https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/12/06/gay-man-to-run-against-kentucky-clerk-who-denied-him-marriage-license/23299526/) ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/16 "2017-12-07T06:13:34Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > She’s drawn at least one opponent - and they’ve dealt with each other before: [Gay man to run against Kentucky clerk who denied him marriage license](https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/12/06/gay-man-to-run-against-kentucky-clerk-who-denied-him-marriage-license/23299526/) That’s a bit of good news. I wish him well. Any idea if Mr. Ermold is set up to accept campaign donations yet? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/17 "2017-12-07T11:46:42Z")
I just hope Mike Pence isn’t involved. > **[Trump reportedly mocked Pence, joked about him wanting to ‘hang’ gays](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/10/17/trump-mocked-pence-joked-about-him-wanting-to-hang-gays-new-yorker-profile/?utm_term=.527843fdc5be)** > > Reporter Jane Mayer took a deep dive into the political and financial forces behind the man who could succeed Trump as president. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/18 "2017-12-07T17:15:16Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > That’s a bit of good news. I wish him well. Any idea if Mr. Ermold is set up to accept campaign donations yet? Indeed he is: [http://www.davidermold.com/](http://www.davidermold.com/) ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/19 "2017-12-07T20:14:59Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Indeed he is: [http://www.davidermold.com/](http://www.davidermold.com/) I am sooo down. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998/20 "2017-12-07T20:15:51Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Indeed he is: [http://www.davidermold.com/](http://www.davidermold.com/) Excellent. Thanks for the link. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rowan-county-ky-county-clerk-election/800998.md?page=2)