County Clerk

What You Do

County and City Clerks, sometimes called a Recorder, run the show when it comes to facilitating elections. This includes helping candidates file and run for office, allocating resources to polling locations, deciding when polls close, how many polling locations are open, and where they’re located. They can also be in charge of disseminating important information ahead of the elections that educate voters about who or what they’re voting for. In nearly all US jurisdictions, clerks offices are essential for maintenance of public records and ensuring that constituents have open access to the government including documents. Depending on the region, these positions can be elected or appointed.

“We have to build a future that we want to see in a more reflective democracy, and that’s going to start with us.”

Gabriella Cazares-Kelly
County Recorder, Pima County, AZ

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of a clerk or recorder can range, but can include attending and recording city/town council meeting minutes, maintaining and supervising the maintenance of city/town accounts and financial records, maintaining or overseeing the maintenance of tax records, and producing constituent facing documents.

They are often instrumental in planning and facilitating elections, determining transparency around election information including filing deadlines, legal responsibilities, and compliance, conveying information for voters on candidates running, early voting deadlines, location of polling places, etc, controlling access to voting records for constituents in their county or city, and certifying election results.

Helpful Skills

Solid communication skills, computer skills, and attention to detail are essential skills for a city/town clerk. Experience with large databases, payroll and bookkeeping, and supervisory skills will be helpful.

Responsibilities

Helpful Skills

In all but the smallest jurisdictions in the US, city/town clerks are full-time jobs. Generally clerks work in and manage a city or town hall office with the assistance of staff. The job is critically important and in many large jurisdictions the job is high stakes and pressure. In the wake of the 2016 election cycle, city/town hall clerk offices have become a focal point of the extreme right. City/town clerks are compensated as the professionals they are, depending on the size of the constituency. The salary varies greatly from $24,000–$139,000 depending on the size and scope of the role.

The size of the campaign required to win a city/town clerk seat is directly proportional to the size of the constituency. In smaller jurisdictions of 30,000 or less, a candidate will need less than $100,000 and lots of time for political relationship building. In larger places, the budgets grow, the size of campaign staff increases, and the need for targeted methods of persuasive communication increase. For a more precise analysis of the type of campaign required to win, look at the history of the seat: what was raised and spent the last time the seat was competitive.