Mike Backer, chairman of the Callaway County Central Democratic Committee, has objected to Callaway County Clerk Denise Hubbard's decision in replacing a Republican judge in the New Bloomfield precinct who no longer wanted to serve in that position.
Backer sent a letter to Hubbard asking her to contact him and Dean Powell, chairman of the Republican Central Committee, to discuss the issue.
Hubbard said Friday during a break of training of election judges in the meeting room of the County Health Department building that she had received Backer's letter and she plans to contact him next week. "I have been busy training election judges," she said.
Several sessions of training are scheduled for the 125 Callaway County election judges who will serve during the Aug. 7 primary election.
In his letter, Backer said the change in the election judge at New Bloomfield "was done without any input whatsoever from either Chair or from the two election judges. You are replacing the Republican judge with an 18-year-old that has no experience whatsoever in this process."
Hubbard said a Republican election judge in New Bloomfield asked to be replaced. She said she had received an application from the 18-year-old Republican woman to be an election judge who had asked to serve in New Bloomfield.
"At the time we had no openings in New Bloomfield so she was scheduled to work in the August election in Fulton. But when the opening came up in New Bloomfield, I decided to choose her for that position because that was her first choice of location," Hubbard said.
Powell said he had suggested another woman for the position but Hubbard had told him that she had already appointed the 18-year-old to the position.
"I told her that was her call. Under the law, she makes that decision," Powell said.
"It was the same way with the previous county clerk. It is the county clerk's decision. The chairmen of political parties can make suggestions but it's the county clerk's call under the law," Powell said.