Summers sees unfinished business, seeks another term as Cape Girardeau County clerk

Kara Clark Summers said this week she will stand for another four-year term as clerk and chief election authority for Cape Girardeau County, Missouri's 15th most populous county.

"There's a lot going on right now that we're in the middle of," said Summers, a Republican whose tenure as clerk began in 2007.

Saying she was "torn" about running again, Summers was the last incumbent county official whose term was expiring to put a name in the hat.

The filing deadline for the Aug. 2 primary is Tuesday. The general election will be held Nov. 8.

Lou Peukert of Cape Girardeau had filed for the GOP nomination March 11 but after learning Summers had submitted the necessary paperwork Monday, formally withdrew his name the next day.

Summers, a Cape Girardeau native, worked a dozen years as a manager for Southwest Airlines before assuming the clerk's job 15 years ago.

"We're trying to create a map program for our GIS (geographic information system), we're trying to put together an app so people can receive information about voting on their phones and we've had some staff changes," she said, adding in the fall, she is scheduled to become president of Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities (MACCEA), representing the state's 114 counties.

"We've had a lot of turnover across the state in the last couple of years. There are a lot of things in the works that I felt I needed to see through," Summers said.

One task on Summers's plate is likely the replacement of a key staffer — her current deputy Allen Seabaugh. Seabaugh is thus far unopposed in his August bid to succeed the retiring Scott County Clerk Rita Milam.

Degree of difficulty

Citing anecdotal interviews and a survey from a Washington, D.C., think tank, politico.com reported March 10, "local election officials are exhausted, under threat and thinking about quitting."

Summers admitted to multiple stresses brought on by the aftermath of COVID-19's arrival in 2020.

"Due to the pandemic, our staff worked more hours than we ever had before. We have more than 350 poll workers we manage and a lot of them chose not to work that year, which I completely understood," Summers said. "We had to go out and recruit, train new poll workers, and had to make a lot of different changes to ensure people could vote with all the COVID restrictions."

Scope

"I wear a lot of hats," Summers said, pointing out her position is also responsible for the county's human resources and payroll departments, is clerk of the County Commission and has nominal oversight of the county's archive center in Jackson.

A full description of the county clerk's responsibilities may be accessed at capecountyvotes.com.