Clerk’s office was busy registering people to vote

The Scurry County Clerk’s Office was busy Tuesday registering people to vote for the Nov. 8 presidential election.
County Clerk Melody Appleton said 9,506 people are registered to vote and more will be added over the next few days because paperwork has not been entered into the system.
“It was a combination of new voters and people changing addresses,” Appleton said of Tuesday’s busy day.
She estimated that 25 people filed paperwork on Tuesday and another 13 voter registration applications through the Department of Public Safety have to be processed.
Scurry County’s 2016 voter registration total topped the 2012 total of 9,404. The highest number of registered voters during a presidential election year was in 2000 when 11,383 were on the roll.
Early voting is scheduled to begin Oct. 24 on the first floor of the Scurry County Courthouse.
Appleton said her office is currently accepting applications for ballots by mail. She said residents over 65, those who are disabled or registered voters who live outside of the county may apply for a ballot by mail. The last day to apply for the ballot is Oct. 28.
The Scurry County offices on the ballot are all uncontested.
Incumbents, who are on the Republican ticket, are 132nd Judicial District Court Judge Ernie B. Armstrong, 132nd Judicial District Attorney Ben Smith, Scurry County Attorney Michael Hartman, Scurry County Sheriff Trey Wilson, Scurry County Tax Assessor/Collector Jana Young and Pct. 1 Scurry County Commissioner Terry Williams. Shawn McCowen is the only candidate running for the Pct. 3 Scurry County Commissioners’ Court seat.
Also on the ballot without opposition are state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, and state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock.
The candidates for the District 19 U.S. House of Representatives seat are Jodey Arrington (Republican), Troy Bonar (Libertarian) and Mark Lawson (Green).