Light turnout marks start of early voting for Aug. 1 election
Early voting for the Aug. 1 state primary and Anderson County general election got underway last Friday (July 12) in three locations, Clinton, Oak Ridge and this one, in the county office building on Anderson- ville Highway in Norris. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Since the polls opened last Friday (July 12) in three locations across the county for early voting, turnout has been light, county Elections Administrator Mark Stephens said Monday.
“It’s been a little slow,” he said. “But there are several different things going on — weather, heat. And there are not a lot of races. None of the big offices are up. For the most part, there are not a lot of hotly contested races.”
The ballot includes primary races for some Tennessee statewide races, and the general-election choices for several county/city positions. The governor’s seat is not up for election this year.
In the state Republican primary, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is facing challenger Tres Wittum; U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann is unopposed in U.S. House District 3; state Rep. John D. Ragan is facing challenger Rick Scarbrough for District 33 in the Tennessee House of Representatives; and state Rep. Ed Butler is unopposed in state House District 41.
For the state Democrat primary, there are four candidates vying for the chance to oppose Blackburn in the U.S. Senate race: Marquita Bradshaw, Lola Denise Brown, Gloria Johnson and Civil Miller-Watkins,
Jack Allen is running unopposed to be the Democratic candidate to face Fleischmann in the U.S. House District 3 race.
Democrat Anne Backus is unopposed in her bid to face the Republican candidate for state House District 33; Joe Derek Hawn is unopposed in his bid to face the Republican Butler in state House District 41; and D. Scott Hammond is running unopposed to fill an unexpired term as Democrat state executive committeeman for District 5.
In the general election part of the ballot, Debra L. Heaton and Joey Smith are running unopposed for two seats on the city of Clinton School Board in Ward 1; no candidate qualified to run for an open seat on the Clinton School Board for Ward 3.
In Oak Ridge, Mary Crank is unopposed in the race for the city School Board.
Also in the county general election: Republican Daniel Forrester is unopposed for the District 7 chancellor position.
Republican Aaron Wells is running against Democrat Ebony Capshaw for the unexpired District 6 Anderson County commissioner post; and Republican John K. Alley Jr. is unopposed for the county assessor of property post.
For the Anderson County School Board, Republican Dail R. Cantrell is facing independent Sharon Burlingame in District 3; Republican Darren Carden faces independent John S. Burrell in District 4; in District 5, Republican Sheri Jarnigan-Beaty faces Democrat Theresa Evans Venable and independent Andy McKamey; and in District 8, Republican Glenda J. Langenberg faces Democrat David Miller.
For Oak Ridge city judge, James T. “Jim” Normand is running unopposed as an independent candidate for the unexpired term.
In two other statewide votes, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater is facing the question of whether he should be retained in the at-large position; and Judge Matthew J. Wilson faces the same question in the state Court of Criminal Appeals, Western Division. Neither one is facing an opponent.
There were 399 voters on the first day, Friday, plus 60 mail-in ballots received, according to tallies posted on the Election Commission’s website (acelection.com).
Those were followed by 127 on Saturday, which was just a half-day, with the polls closing at noon. There were five more mail-in ballots.
On Monday, 346 people voted early, and one mail-in ballot was received.
There are three early-voting locations:
• Clinton Community Center, 101 S. Hicks St..
• Midtown Community Center (Wildcat Den), 102 Robertsville Road, Oak Ridge.
• Anderson Crossing Shopping Center, 3324 Andersonville Highway, Norris.
Voting hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday.