Embattled Bourbon County Clerk Susan Walker tendered her resignation at the August 10, 2026 Bourbon County Commission meeting, KOAM TV reports.
“For 24 years, I’ve had the honor and the burden of serving this community,” Walker reportedly said at the meeting. It’s been a journey of victories and valleys of moments that tested my resolve, and moments that renewed my hope. Today, I’m before you with a heavy heart, but a clear conscience to announce that I will be stepping down from my position as County Clerk.”
Her last day will be Aug. 31.
According to KOAM, Walker expressed several frustrations alleging a lack of leadership and respect and “claiming demeaning and sexist comments from members of the commission.”
For now, Deputy Clerk Michael Hoyt will take over her duties until a replacement is appointed by the Republican Party.
KOAM also reports that at least some staff will be transferring out of the clerk’s office to another elected official’s office by the end of the week.
Susan Walker faced recall after ballot errors
As The Sentinel previously reported, Walker was facing a recall effort, less than two years after she was elected, following errors in the Union Town school board race last year.
The action stems from the Uniontown USD 235 school board race, when Susan Walker’s office — by her own admission — printed ballots that omitted the names of the school board candidates during early voting. Correct ballots were eventually printed — the night before the election — and delivered to polling places.
One source, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation by Walker, said some of the ballots weren’t delivered to some polling places until 8 a.m. — an hour after voting began and far less than the 12 hours required by law.
In a release, Walker blamed the district, stating that districts are required by law to run their elections by selecting a “voting plan.”
“Voting plan C was used to build the ballots for early voting, which only listed precinct nominations,” the release said. “Voting plan B should have been used, which would include all USD 235 seats for residents to cast their vote.”
Walker, in two separate releases, had blamed the district for the error in the ballot that disenfranchised 52 early voters. While it is possible the district did, indeed, make the mistake, as the chief election officer, it is Walker’s duty to ensure the ballots are correct. The Sentinel asked Walker to cite the statute that would require the district — rather than the county election officer — to ensure the ballots are correct. She declined to comment.
The voting errors — among other issues — caused the Bourbon County Republican Party to issue a vote of no-confidence against Walker.
Walker sued to try to invalidate recall petition
The Sentinel reported in May that Walker had filed a lawsuit on May 22, 2026, against County Attorney James Crux and the recall committee, initially demanding a preliminary injunction and the dismissal of the petition.
However, a few days later, Walker’s attorney — Jonathan Ehrlich — withdrew the request for an injunction against circulating the recall petition and asked Judge Richard M. Fisher Jr. to declare the petition invalid.
In the lawsuit, Walker contends that the petition is “insufficient” because Crux failed to read a second draft of the recall petition.
The original draft accused Walker of “misconduct,” but Crux had the committee remove that word along with other minor changes before certifying the second draft as sufficient.
Walker claims that because she never saw a copy of the second petition before its circulation, the petition was invalid.
Walker also asked, in a separate motion, to dismiss the recall committee — Kevin Wagner, Kyle Parks and Lyle Owenby — as defendants in the lawsuit, which Fisher granted.
However, Kevin Wagner, through his attorney Patrick B. Hughes, filed a motion asking that the recall committee not be dismissed. As of publication, Fisher has not acted on the motion.
Wagner, in a phone interview, said Crux — contrary to what Walker claims — did indeed read the amended petition.
“[Crux] witnessed me sign the second one; he watched me sign the first one, also, but I hand-delivered it to him, and then the other two petitioners followed me and signed the petition at his office also,” Wagner said.
That lawsuit was dismissed on July 28, 2026.
