*Results are complete, but unofficial
Amanda Calvert (DEM) has been elected to serve as the district clerk for Hays County to serve her first term from 2024-26.
With 62,266 (52.48%), Calvert beat her Republican opponent, Philip Muzzy (47.52%), by a margin of 5,892 votes.
Calvert said she wants accountability to be high on the list of priorities for her as district clerk.
“Accountability and getting experience in that office and applying and making sure we’re in compliance with everything,” Calvert said.
Calvert also said she plans to help eliminate the language barrier for bilingual residents in Hays County.
“Making sure we’re able to communicate with things such as translation devices and making sure people who are bilingual, our Spanish-speaking communities, are properly compensated for their skills,” Calvert said. “That’s the primary thing I want to focus on reaching our community.”
For Calvert, restoring residents’ faith in the district clerk’s office is her main goal as she officially steps into the position on Nov. 12, when Hays County will release its official results.
“Hays [County] is my home, and I intend to make the community proud that they have elected me as their next district clerk,” Calvert said.
Calvert will be finishing off the previous Hays County District Clerk’s Avrey Anderson’s unexpired term. Anderson resigned on July 5 amid proceedings of his potential removal.
Muzzy was also running for district clerk for the first time. He said he was running to address the issues caused by Anderson, including the “problem” with jury summons involving the death of San Marcos Police Department Officer Kenneth Copeland.
Another one of Muzzy’s goals was to improve the jury service experience and clearing the backlog of cases, working closely with local law enforcement and the district attorney’s office to ensure compliance.
However, even if he was elected, Muzzy wouldn’t have been able to accept the position of Hays County District Clerk. In a statement to The Star, Muzzy wrote he is administratively disqualified from accepting the position of district clerk because he voted in the Democratic Party primary.
“In this case, I voted for a friend and local community leader, who happens to be a Democrat in a primary election,” Muzzy wrote. “Because of this, I am technically administratively disqualified at the last minute. My name is still on the ballot for [Nov. 5]. I humbly ask that you stand beside me and send a message to both parties in local elections. We choose people, not political parties.”
Ryan Claycamp contributed to the article.
