Fayette County Clerk faces political newcomer in race for office that oversees elections

Fayette County voters will choose between a long-time incumbent and a political newcomer in the race for Fayette County Clerk on Nov. 8.

Democrat Don Blevins Jr., who was appointed to the position once held by his father in 2009, has run unopposed since taking over the office with a staff of more than 75 people and a budget north of $90 million. Don Blevins Sr. was in the office for 27 years prior to the younger Blevins appointment.

He faces Republican Brystin Denguessi Kwin, a lawyer and first-time candidate.

The office oversees motor vehicle license plate renewals, property records, marriage licenses and elections.

Blevins said he wants to continue to improve services for the people of Fayette County. During the coronavirus pandemic, the office had to close and directed more people to use online and mail in services. It also had to make changes to the election process during COVID.

“We have adapted the best way we could during some very difficult times to protect our customers and our staff,” Blevins said. “We have had squeaky clean audits every year.”

Blevins said he also had the management experience to deal with a large staff, budget and sometimes complex legal processes involved with land records, motor vehicle tags, marriage licenses and elections.

Blevins said he thinks people should have to qualify for to run for the office, much like property value administrator candidates. Or the position should be appointed. It’s not an easy job for newcomers, he said.

“You can’t blow an election,” Blevins said.

Kwin, a lawyer and Mobile, Ala., native, said she has repeatedly heard from voters that they are dissatisfied with the services offered by Blevins office. It’s time for a change and new ideas, she said. The Blevins family has controlled the office for 40 years, she said.

Kwin, who received her law degree in 2021 from the University of Kentucky College of Law and formerly worked for the Fayette County Attorney’s office, said she waited more than two hours to vote in the June 2020 primary at Kroger Field, which was the lone in-person voting location due to the pandemic.

“I saw a guy, a younger guy, walk out of the line,” Kwin said.

If elected, Kwin said she would explore opening a satellite office so people don’t have to come to the Main Street office. Extending office hours into the early evening is also something she would like to explore, she said.

Blevins said his office used to offer extended hours but discontinued it eight years ago because no one showed up. It was not cost effective, he said.

“We have very few lines now,” Blevins said. “Almost everything can be done online or by mail now.”

Blevins said one of the last things the office is moving online is property records. That process will be complete in 2023. Blevins said one of the reasons he is running is he would like to see the conversion from paper to online records completed.

Kwin said Blevins also could do more to find multiple voting sites, particularly for early in-person voting. In May, Blevins had originally considered using all voting locations, which included schools, for early voting but nixed that plan because it was untenable for schools to close for three days.

Kroger Field was the primary early voting site. In the fall, the Lexington Senior Center will be the site for three days of early voting prior to the Nov. 8 general election. On Nov. 8, all typical voting sites will be open.

The office and its duties have become politicized particularly since 2020, when election deniers questioned valid results.

Both Kwin and Blevins said President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Both said more needs to be done to educate the public about Kentucky’s voting process to stop falsehoods and misinformation.

“Our voting machines are not connected to the internet,” Kwin said.

Blevins and Kwin said they would also issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

“I will follow the law,” Kwin said.

Blevins echoed those comments.

“I am proud to say that we issued one of the very first same-sex marriage certificates in Kentucky,” Blevins said.

Former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling made same-sex marriages legal. Davis has lost several rounds of lawsuits over her decision not to issue the licenses to same-sex couples, citing religious reasons. She also lost her job as county clerk after being defeated in 2018.

According to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, Kwin has raised more than $29,000 as of Oct. 10. Blevins has not filed any reports with the state finance agency because he has decided to raise $3,000 or less.

Don Blevins Jr.

Age: 60

Previous work experience: An electrical engineer, he has worked for AT&T Bell Laboratories/ IBM/ Perot Systems working mainly in software development in several management positions

Previous elected office: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council representing District 10; County clerk since 2009

Family: Adult children

Brystin Denguessi Kwin

Age: 27

Previous work experience: A lawyer, Kwin has worked for former Fayette County Attorney Larry Roberts and currently works for Mattmiller Crosbie PLLC

Previous elected office: None

Family: Married

This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM.

Beth Musgrave

Lexington Herald-Leader

Beth Musgrave has covered government and politics for the Herald-Leader for more than a decade. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has worked as a reporter in Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois and Washington D.C. Support my work with a digital subscription