Lawrence County will have several positions available for election in the August 3, 2010, primary election.
The offices available for election are: presiding commissioner, county clerk, treasurer, collector, circuit clerk, recorder, prosecutor and two associate judges. Each office is for a four year term, according to Gary Emerson, county clerk.
Also available is the two year-terms for the positions of committeeman and committeewoman for each precinct.
The opening date for candidate filing is 8 a.m., February 23; the filing period closes at 5 p.m., March 30.
Candidates may file for office at the county clerk’s office in the courthouse in Mt. Vernon during regular office hours. The office of the county clerk is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day.
For the first day only, a random number will be drawn to determine placement on the primary ballot. After the first day, order of filing determines placement on the primary ballot, said Emerson.
In order to file, candidates must have a voter identification card or knowledge of the voting precinct and township where they are registered, a reliable form of identification such as a Missouri driver’s license, and their filing fee of $50 or receipt from their political party showing the fee paid.
Candidates are required to file a Candidate’s Affidavit of Tax Payments prior to filing for county office. The form is available in Emerson’s office or online at http://dor.mo.gov/tax/candidates/.  
At the time of filing, the candidate must present a copy of a completed and notarized affidavit.  Candidates are not eligible to file for county office until they provide a copy of the completed and notarized affidavit.
Also, all candidates for presiding commissioner and county clerk will be required to file a Personal Financial Disclosure Statement with the Ethics Commission.  The deadline is 14 days from the closing date of filing for candidacy. 
The Personal Financial Disclosure Statement must be received no later than 5 p.m. on the 14th day following the closing date for filing for candidacy, or postmarked the day previous to the deadline to be considered filed in a timely manner. The time period covered by the statement should be the 12 months previous to the closing date for filing for candidacy.