Most 19-year-olds are navigating their sophomore years in college or working to save up for an apartment, but Avrey Anderson isn’t like his peers.
According to Austin NBC affiliate KXAN, the Hays County teen eked out a surprising win in the race for the Hill Country county’s district clerk position earlier this month. Anderson’s win essentially ends incumbent Beverly Crumley’s decade-long time overseeing the office.
Per KXAN, Anderson, a fresh high school graduate, embarked on his campaign with no political experience nor a cent in his coffers.
The station reported that he took a “man on the street” approach when it came to courting potential voters by interacting outside the courthouse in the county seat of San Marcos.
“A lot of people, generally speaking, just click a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ when they’re in the voting booth,” Anderson, who ran as a Democrat, said, KXAN reported.
According to KXAN, Anderson defeated the Republican Crumley, who has three decades of experience in the Hays County District Clerk’s Office, by approximately 2,500 votes.
“I have a lot of knowledge and experience,” she told the station. “I’m just really prideful in the work that I’ve done here. So yeah, I’m really disappointed in the outcome.”
As district clerk, Anderson will oversee all filed district court lawsuits from the moment they’re filed to when they reach a conclusion, as well as prepare material for litigation that is heard by a judge, per KXAN.
His soon-to-be predecessor said that the district clerk also acts as the district court’s financial officer, jury manager and simply put, recordkeeper, the station reported.
A 2021 graduate of Dripping Springs High School who has held jobs at a gas station near his house and his uncle’s restaurant, Anderson expressed confidence in his ability to be a county leader.
“I believe I am ready to take on this office,” he told KXAN. “I’ve heard that 80% of your job success is your ability to deal with people. I think that I’m pretty well able to do that.”