Carmen Finley and the Trigg County Clerk’s Office can serve the community in nearly every single capacity, save for one.
Divorces. Those, she said, belong in the Circuit Clerk’s Office.
This was her message to the Cadiz Rotary Club Tuesday afternoon, where she spent time shedding light on her and her staff’s responsibilities — while detailing what the next year might look like for Cadiz and Trigg County residents.
Holding the post for the last decade, some of the biggest changes to the job have occurred in the last two years.
Most recently, the state’s switch from 40 years of DOS programming to a new computer upgrade has created problem in Finley’s motor vehicle department — where new statewide software was necessary, but hiccups still remain with the merging of old and new records.
Some of Finley’s top experience is also retiring in April, too, as Lisa P’Pool says goodbye after 28 years in the office.
Meanwhile, the 2024 election cycle brings with it a smaller national ballot and race for District 1 state senator, but also the ability for Trigg County’s poll officials to print ballots on demand. Finley said this process was tested at the EOC voting center last November, and with even fewer chances of administering the wrong ballot, she said it “worked great.”
Once a driver’s license is scanned, Finley noted a printer creates a slip with a barcode, and another printer scans the barcode and spits out the ballot specific to the voter. She said it’s quick, effective, and a process that keeps its integrity since no machine is connected to the internet.
Speaking of elections, the May primary is quickly approaching. In-person valid excused voting is set for May 8-15 in the clerk’s office. Early in-person voting will be from 10 AM until 6 PM May 16-18 in the EOC. May 21 is Election Day, and Finley said the same seven locations from November 2023 will be used from 6 AM until 6 PM, and people can vote where they want.
Those who changed parties after December 30 are not eligible to vote in the May primary, and new poll workers, she added, are always welcome.
Citizens of Trigg County can use Finley’s office to pay registration, taxes on all types of vehicles, procure license plates or marriage licenses, follow up on delinquent tax fees, nab a hunting and/or fishing license, shore up occupational taxes, obtain notaries, secure deeds, mortgages, wills and military discharges, and so much more.
But much like frequent flier and long-time local Chappell Wilson, Finley said citizens can come in and do research on the community — through the use of open documents.
A few reminders from her:
— License plates no longer go with the vehicle, but with the owner, and as such get transferred to new rides.
— Driver’s licenses have never been handled by the county clerk’s office, but in the circuit clerk’s office, and now those duties have shifted to regional locations. Pop-ups at the EOC do occur twice a year, spring and fall.
— Those needing an absentee ballot for 2024 should visit the online portal, govoteky.com.
— And changing a driver’s license doesn’t change or activate a voter’s registration. That change must come in Finley’s office.
