Jaclyn Riebold narrowly won the Republican primary race for Jefferson County county clerk, beating Brent Myers and Steve Wyatt Earp.
She’ll face Democratic challenger Tracy Johnson in the Nov. 3 general election.
According to official results reported by the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office, Riebold won the race with 8,629 votes, or 33.71 percent of the total vote, to Myers’ 8,518 votes (33.27 percent) and Earp’s 8,453 votes (33.02 percent).
Riebold, 44, of Cedar Hill is employed in healthcare provider credentialing and insurance contracting. She said, as of 10 p.m. on election night, the results of the race were still sinking in.
“I would really, truly like to thank all of the voters of Jefferson County for their belief and trust in me,” Riebold said. “I promise to work hard every single day to continue to earn that trust. The real work starts now.”
She said she spoke with both Earp and Myers following the results of the election.
“We all congratulated each other on a job well done, and the hard work and everything that went into it,” she said.
Johnson, 67, of Herculaneum said she was overwhelmed with the amount of support she received at the Aug. 4 primary. Johnson ran unopposed, receiving 13,622 votes countywide.
She said she’s just getting started on preparing for the Nov. 3 general election.
“I’ve worked for the county clerk for 14 years, and retired from there in 2022,” Johnson said. “I’m wanting to step back into it. I know a lot about the office; I’ve worked with most of the people who are already there. I can provide transparency, integrity and commitment (to the position).”
Myers, 46, of Hillsboro said Riebold is a good, trustworthy person to lead the clerk’s office.
“I want to thank everyone who helped me out,” he said. “I wish I had more time (to campaign), but working 40 hours a week, having a full-time job, means I didn’t have as much time as I needed.”
In late April, Myers took Earp to court, claiming that Earp had not lived in Jefferson County long enough to qualify as a candidate for county clerk. Judge Joseph Alfred Rathert on June 5 ruled that Earp’s name could stay on the Aug. 4 primary ballot, saying Myers did not overcome the burden of proof to remove Earp from the ballot.
Myers said one reason he decided to challenge Earp’s qualifications for running in Jefferson County is due to a 2009 St. Louis jury ruling finding Earp guilty on two felony counts of stealing from an election campaign.
Earp was accused of overbilling St. Louis Community College while providing consulting services on a 2006 tax-rate proposal campaign. The jury recommended a six-year prison sentence, but a judge waived the sentence, and Earp served five years on probation.
“I appreciate the support everyone gave me,” Myers said. “At least, the main thing is, a convicted felon didn’t get into office. That’s a big thing.”
Efforts to reach Earp for this story were unsuccessful.
According to the county clerk’s page for election results, Myers polled well in Hillsboro, where he’s from. He received 335 votes (50.76 percent) to Riebold’s 171 votes (25.91 percent) and Earp’s 154 votes (23.33 percent) at the Hillsboro Civic Center.
Riebold polled well in the western portion of the county. She received 264 votes (42.72 percent) to Earp’s 202 votes (32.69 percent) and Myers’ 152 votes (24.60 percent) at Murphy Elementary School in High Ridge.
Earp polled well in De Soto, receiving 78 votes (42.39 percent) to Myers’ 56 votes (30.43 percent) and Riebold’s 50 votes (27.17 percent) at the De Soto K.C. Hall.
The county clerk is the county’s election authority as well as the keeper of county records. The office also issues liquor and solid waste licenses and administers notary public commissions.
The office pays a salary of approximately $86,000.
Republican Jeannie Goff, who has served mainly as the second-in-command in the office for 35 years under five county clerks, opted not to run again after being elected county clerk in 2022.