{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"JUDY C. KIRKPATRICK","chatgptsummary":"Judy C. Kirkpatrick's twenty-four-year tenure as a deputy register and her continuous service since 2002 demonstrate direct experience with Tennessee recording statutes, land instrument indexing, and office management. She holds memberships in state and regional professional associations relevant to the role. The biography contains no record of disciplinary action or controversy. Bio does not indicate prior budget oversight experience or specific technology implementation experience.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJudy C. Kirkpatrick is the incumbent Hawkins County Register of Deeds and the Republican nominee for the office on the August 6, 2026 ballot, running unopposed after taking 7,224 votes (about 99.71% of ballots cast) in the May 2026 GOP primary [1][2][3].\n\n## Background and education\nKirkpatrick is a lifelong resident of Hawkins County and the daughter of Gale and Minnie Carpenter of Rogersville [1].\n\n## Career\nBefore her first election, Kirkpatrick worked as a deputy register in the Hawkins County Register of Deeds office for 24 years [1].\n\n## Office history\nKirkpatrick was first elected Hawkins County Register of Deeds in 2002 and has held the office continuously since then [1]. Her office at 110 East Main Street, Room 202 in Rogersville is staffed by four deputy registers [1].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nKirkpatrick holds memberships in the Tennessee Register of Deeds Association, the East Tennessee Register of Deeds Association, and the County Officials Association of Tennessee (COAT) [1].\n\n## Family\nKirkpatrick is married to Craig Kirkpatrick; the couple has one son, who serves as a Hawkins County Sheriff's deputy [1]. She is a member of First Baptist Church of Rogersville, where she has previously served as Missions Friends Leader and in the Children's Department [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Register of Deeds \u2014 Judy Kirkpatrick (official county site)](https://www.hawkinscountytn.gov/register_of_deeds.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[2] [No excuses: Stewart wins primary, Linkous unseats DeWitte (Rogersville Review)](https://www.therogersvillereview.com/news/article_f3f7b9f3-e7c6-4839-9584-7f87024cae4a.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[3] [Official ballot, Hawkins County, August 6, 2026](https://hawkinscountytn.gov/pdfs/elections/sample_ballot.pdf) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18","firstname":"JUDY","lastname":"KIRKPATRICK","middlename":"C.","suffix":null,"token":"aVB8ci2283"},"token":"judy_c_kirkpatrick"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"register_of_deeds","o.office":null,"office":"register","officedescription":"The register of deeds maintains the county's permanent public record of real-property instruments \u2014 deeds, mortgages, liens, and plats \u2014 and collects the state transfer and mortgage taxes on them. The record the office keeps is the legal backbone of property ownership.","officequalities":"- Records management of deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, and other instruments affecting title to land.\n- Working knowledge of Tennessee recording statutes, the recording-tax schedule, and the increasingly-electronic submission workflow used by title companies.\n- Accuracy and indexing discipline \u2014 an error in the register's records can cloud title for years.\n- Public-access service: the records are open, and the office serves both professional users and individual property owners.\n- Budget and technology literacy for maintaining a searchable, modern record system.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Register of Deeds","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-18","title":"Hawkins County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.hawkinscountytn.gov/pdfs/elections/sample_ballot.pdf"},"title":"Register Of Deeds"}