Preview your Clay County, Missouri sample ballot for 2026: browse tracked local races, then enter your ZIP code to confirm which districts and offices appear on your exact ballot.
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests.
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Local Snapshot
Election DayNov. 3, 2026
StateMissouri
Races Listed5
Profiles12
Races We’re Tracking
Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot.
Presiding Commissioner
County
Nonpartisan under Clay County's home-rule constitution: a candidate topping 50 percent on August 4 wins outright, otherwise the top two advance to November 3. Incumbent Jerry Nolte faces two challengers, per the Kansas City Star.
Jerry NolteIncumbent▾
A lifelong Clay County resident first elected to the Missouri House in 2004 and elected presiding commissioner in 2014, per the Kansas City Star. He describes this as his final term.
Priorities: Beginning the design of a new county jail, per the Kansas City Star · Supporting law enforcement and improving infrastructure, per the Star · Continuing to lower taxes, including the senior property tax credit, per the Star
Jennifer Justus▾
A realtor and CEO of Dream Properties Real Estate for over 26 years, per the Kansas City Star, which also reports she chairs the Legacy Fund for the City of Smithville and sits on the Beacon Mental Health board.
Priorities: Connecting housing and development to workforce growth, per the Kansas City Star · Public safety, per the Star · School enrollment and neighborhood stability, per the Star
Jay Swearingen▾
An Army veteran and managing broker of Dwell Kansas City Real Estate who represented southern Clay County in the Missouri House from 2011 to 2015, per the Kansas City Star.
Eastern Commissioner, Seat 2
County
Nonpartisan: a majority winner on August 4 is elected outright, otherwise the top two advance to November 3. Appears only on Eastern District ballots.
Jay R. JohnsonIncumbent▾
Elected eastern commissioner in 2023 after a policing career that included more than a year as interim chief of police at UMKC, chief in Newport Beach, and 23 years with the Long Beach Police Department, per the Kansas City Star.
Priorities: Strengthening public safety, per the Kansas City Star · Investing in critical infrastructure, per the Star · Reducing the tax burden, per the Star
Mark McAuliffe▾
Executive director of the Clay County Economic Development Council with more than 30 years of corporate leadership and consulting experience, per the Kansas City Star, which reports he was raised in Clay County and lives in Kearney.
Priorities: Creating more jobs, per the Kansas City Star · Enhancing community safety, per the Star · Lowering taxes, per the Star
Western Commissioner, Seat 2
County
Nonpartisan: a majority winner on August 4 is elected outright, otherwise the top two advance to November 3. Jon Carpenter currently holds Western Seat 1 (through 2028) and is running for this separate Seat 2, per the Kansas City Star. Appears only on Western District ballots.
Jon Carpenter▾
The sitting Western Seat 1 commissioner, elected in 2024, who previously represented District 15 in the Missouri House and owned a small communications firm in Clay County, per the Kansas City Star. He is running for the separate Seat 2 rather than his current seat.
Priorities: Infrastructure, per the Kansas City Star · Public safety, per the Star · Improved 911 coordination and clearer public reporting on projects and budgets, per the Star
A former director of nursing who opened her own long-term care business and has pastoral training, per the Kansas City Star.
James Paxton Lyen▾
A business consultant at Lyen Consulting who has lived in Clay County since 2015 and is running a strictly grassroots campaign with no website, signs, or fundraising, per the Kansas City Star.
Priorities: Reducing government spending, including shrinking the commission from seven members to five, per the Kansas City Star · Improving rural road and bridge infrastructure, per the Star
Councilmember, City of Excelsior Springs
City
Reggie St. John▾
We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Joshua A. Nunez▾
We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Sonya Morgan▾
We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Clay County Eastern Commissioner District Seat 2
County
Vern Windsor▾
We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
Note: Use address lookup for your exact ballot; local pages preview tracked races.Profiles: Hand-verified profiles are added race by race; always confirm with the official election office linked above.
