HUNTSVILLE | With four days remaining in the two-week early voting period ahead of the Aug. 6 general election and state primary, the number of voters from Scott County participating in the primary are up significantly over the last major election cycle four years ago.
Four years ago, only about two in three voters who had participated in early voting by this point — 66% — had requested a primary ballot. This year, that number has surged to 87.4%. According to Scott County Administrator of Elections Gabe Krahn, a total of 2,153 of the 2,464 voters who had cast ballots during the early voting period as of the close of polls on Tuesday had also participated in the state primary.
However, that same voter enthusiasm is not transitioning to the local election, where turnout continues to trail — albeit by only a slight margin — the number of ballots cast four years ago. At this same point in the early voting period in 2022, a total of 2,551 voters had taken part in the election.
There are more than 400 additional registered voters in Scott County now than there were four years ago. With that taken into account, voter turnout is about 18% so far this year, versus about 19.2% at the same point in 2022.
A number of factors are in play.
Competitive races on the Republican ballot for Tennessee governor and the U.S. House of Representatives appears to be driving heavier primary voting. Marsha Blackburn, John Rose and Monty Fritz are leading the race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. And with Rose running for governor rather than re-election for his seat in Congress, Johnny Garrett and Van Hilleary are battling for the nomination to succeed him.
Four years ago, there were no competitive primary races, with incumbent Gov. Bill Lee and incumbent Congressman Rose facing no opposition, while incumbent Congressman Chuck Fleischmann faced only token opposition.
The party breakdown among primary voters reflects the competition on the GOP side. Of those participating in the primary from Scott County, better than 92% have requested a Republican ballot. That’s up from just over 90% in 2022.
Although there is a competitive race for governor on the Democrat ballot, it has not commanded much attention among voters; whomever wins the Republican nomination will be considered an overwhelming favorite heading into November’s general election. Slightly fewer voters have requested a Democrat ballot in Scott County thus far, compared to 2022 (166 this year compared to 174 at this same point in 2022).
On the local level, many of the races on the ballot are uncontested. Road Superintendent Kelvin King, County Attorney John Beaty, Trustee Rena Erwin, Register of Deeds Ashley Riseden, and Circuit Court Clerk Donnie Phillips are all running without opposition. Contested races for the top two races on the ballot, County Mayor and Sheriff, appear to be doing little to move the needle among voters. The County Mayor’s race is a four-way campaign, with incumbent Jerried Jeffers battling challengers Trent Cross, Dennis Jeffers and Jennifer Shockley. The Sheriff’s race is a three-way battle, with incumbent Brian Keeton challenged by Dennis Chambers and Kris Lewallen. The only other contested county-wide race is for County Clerk, where incumbent Felicia Bilbrey is opposed by Amanda Sexton and Christina Cross.
Four years ago, many of the county-wide races on the ballot were also without opposition, and there were fewer candidates for both County Mayor and Sheriff (two in each race).
However, there was a key difference four years ago: It was the eight-year judicial cycle. Most notably, four local candidates were vying to replace retiring General Sessions Judge Jamie Cotton. Another candidate with local ties, Graham Wilson, was on the ballot for Criminal Court Judge.
Nearly 1,500 people voted during the final three days of early voting four years ago. That’s usually the case during the last days of early voting. In 2022, more than 400 people voted on both Thursday and Saturday of the early voting period, and more than 600 on Friday.
Total voter turnout in 2022 wound up being 52%, but fewer than four in 10 of those who cast ballots did so on Election Day.
If current trends and historical precedents hold this year, total turnout will likely be just under 50%.
Polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6. Voters can cast ballots at either the Scott County Office Building or the Oneida Municipal Services Building through Saturday, then must vote at the precinct to which they are assigned on Aug. 6.
