19-year-old unseats veteran GOP district clerk in Hays County

Hays County’s newest elected district clerk called his election win on Nov. 8 a “little bit shocking.” Perhaps it’s because he’s never held a position in the office — or any office at all. Or perhaps it’s because he unseated an incumbent with 30 years’ experience. Maybe it’s because he spent $0 on his campaign. But most likely, it’s because Avrey Anderson, Hays County’s newest elected official, is only 19 years old. “My family took it as a shock,” he said. “They didn’t think I could win.” The teenager graduated from Dripping Springs High School last year. He now looks forward to a four-year term as the district clerk of the Hays County court system after winning the Nov. 8 election by 1,906 votes. That’s a margin of 2 percentage points.

Democrats swept the Hays County local races on Election Day. The county commissioners court has a new Democratic majority, and Democrats won every major office on the countywide ballot, including county clerk and county treasurer. Running as a Democrat, Anderson unseated Republican Beverly Cowan Crumley, who was elected district clerk in 2011. She previously served as a deputy clerk from 1992 to 2011. Crumley did not return a message seeking comment. She has not posted on her campaign Facebook page since Nov. 4, encouraging people to vote, and Anderson said she has not called him to concede. The teenager from Dripping Springs said he owns a small landscaping company and decided to run for office so he could be a public servant for the community. He opted to run for district clerk because he didn’t meet residency requirements to run for county commissioner, and if he had run for county judge, he “would have lost.” “I feel like I’m more able to make records than make county legislation,” he said.