Hillsboro-area resident Brent Myers has announced plans to run as a Republican candidate for Jefferson County clerk this fall.
County Clerk Jeannie Goff announced last summer that she will not be seeking reelection when her term ends Dec. 31, after working for nearly three decades in the office.
Filing for the Aug. 4, 2026, primary election runs from Feb. 24 through March 31. Primary winners from each political party will face off in the Nov. 3 general election.
The clerk’s office serves as the election authority for the county, accepting candidate filings and coordinating elections and ballot issues. The office also provides licensing and notary services, along with maintaining public records such as campaign finance disclosures and tax levy certifications.
The county clerk is paid an annual salary of $86,120.
Myers, 45, works at Browning Arms Co. in Arnold and has been a member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers for more than 22 years. He is a licensed private pilot for fixed-wing aircraft and a licensed amateur radio operator.
Myers said his primary goal if he’s elected would be to ensure the county has secure elections. He said he wants to revert to manually tallying all results on election day and stop using electronic ballot scanners.
Following the April 8, 2025, election, the clerk’s office found a discrepancy between manually tallied votes and the unofficial results released.
An internal investigation revealed that one of the transport media drives containing in-person absentee votes had not been included in the unofficial totals on election night. The drive containing 634 ballots was then added to the election night totals.
The results of two races changed significantly when those extra votes were added – one for a seat on the Rock Township Board of Directors and the other for a seat on the city of Scotsdale Board of Trustees.
In one case, Paul Horn, not Rick Lamborn, was determined to be the winner of one of two seats up for election on the Rock Township Board of Directors.
In the second case involving the city of Scotsdale, Justin Denochick was the top vote-getter, and on election night, it appeared Shawn Kadlec had received the second most votes to win the second seat on the board.
However, after the election verification process was completed, it turned out that Kadlec and Melinda Holahan had tied for the second seat.
“A while back, a flash drive didn’t get counted, and it was a mistake,” Myers said. “I believe it was a legitimate mistake, but given the circumstances with some of the other issues with electronics in other states, I think we need to get rid of (electronic ballot scanners) altogether.”
Myers said he sees no issues with how the clerk’s office is run and added that he wouldn’t have considered running for the position if it weren’t for Goff’s retirement.
“We cannot lose confidence in our voting system in Jefferson County,” he said. “Everything is going to be thought out, that’s for sure; I definitely do not want to rush into anything. I know some people are nervous about (hand counting ballots), but I think working with the volunteers and working with the staff that is there right now, I think we could do it. I don’t think it’s out of reach.”
Myers said he has volunteered as an election judge at Jefferson County polling stations.
He said the work has provided him with insight into how elections are handled. He said the county needs to encourage younger generations to help at the polls.
Myers said there may be a way to allow volunteers to work the polls for a half day or a few hours at a time, rather than the full election day. He said this would allow those who work the opportunity to volunteer at the polls when they leave work for the day, or before they go in.
Myers is married and has three children. He graduated from St. Pius X High School and earned an associate degree in business management from Jefferson College.