A deputy Douglas County clerk is the first person to officially enter the race for the office’s top job.

Marni Penrod, deputy of elections, has filed as a candidate for county clerk. The incumbent clerk, Patty Jaimes, is not seeking re-election.

Penrod started working in the office part-time in 1995, and has been working full-time for more than two years. The county clerk is responsible for conducting elections, managing county payroll and paying county bills.

Penrod, a 32-year-old Republican, lives in rural Overbrook with her husband, Joseph Penrod, and their two children: Maria, a third-grader at Overbrook School, and Joseph, a first-grader at Overbrook.

The filing deadline for candidates is noon June 10. A primary is scheduled for Aug. 3, leading up to the general election Nov. 2.