High-interest races
Early voting sees strong turnout ahead of Nov. 5 local, national election
People were lined up down the sidewalk in front of the early-voting site at Anderson Crossing in Norris as the doors were opened to let in voters in on the first day of voting, Wednesday, Oct.16. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
As of the end of Saturday, 8,315 people had cast their ballots – or about 16 percent – with 10 more days of early voting remaining.
If that pace, an average of 2,078 a day, were to continue, more than 29,000 would have voted by the end of early voting on Oct. 31.
At the polling place on Andersonville Highway in Norris, voters were already lined up outside the building and down the sidewalk ready to enter when the doors were unlocked at 10 a.m. last Wednesday.
Big, early turnouts were also experienced at the other two early-voting sites, in Clinton and Oak Ridge.
“There’s certainly a lot of interest in this election,” Anderson County Elections Administrator Mark Stephens said.
Besides national and statewide contests, there are local municipal elections on the ballot as well, including the entire five-member Norris City Council.
Oddly, in Rocky Top, only one person is on the ballot for two open seats on the City Council.
Keith Daniels is the only candidate for the council seats being vacated by Stacy Phillips and Zack Green, who both chose not to run.
Both said their busy work and personal schedules make it hard for them to find enough time to handle City Council duties.
Because no write-in candidates qualified for the ballot, either, the new City Council will have to take applications and choose a person to fill the unclaimed spot, Stephens said.
As for the overall election, “I would encourage people to vote early,” Stephens said last week. “There are going to be lines because there is such high interest in this election, and we hope our voters will be patient.
“We’re at a record number of registered voters in Anderson County, and I believe there will be a big turnout,” he said, adding that he believes there will be more people voting early than on Election Day.
“We’ve added equipment and additional poll workers,” Stephens said.
Anderson County now has 53,576 registered voters, the most in history, Stephens said.
There are three locations for early voting in Anderson County: the Anderson County Fair Association Building at 218 Nave St., Clinton; the Midtown Community Center (Wildcat Den), 102 Robertsville Road, Oak Ridge; and the former Anderson County Government office at 3310 Andersonville Highway, Norris.
Early-voting hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday.
The Norris location for early voting this time has been moved back to the space formerly occupied by the county tax office, rather than the current tax office where early voting took place in July.
At the top of the ballot is the U.S. presidential election, where there are multiple candidates running.
But the real race there is between former President Donald J. Trump, who won the Tennessee primary election as the Republican candidate, and the Democrat candidate, current Vice President Kamala Harris, who was never on a primary ballot, but was appointed to the ballot by the Democrat Party.
President Joe Biden won the Democrat primary in Tennessee, but does not appear on the ballot, having been dropped by his own party.
The ballot also includes some Tennessee statewide races, along with the municipal elections in Clinton, Oak Ridge, Norris, Oliver Springs and Rocky Top.
Among the statewide races, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is facing Democrat Gloria Johnson and three independent candidates. U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann faces Democrat Jack Allen and two independents.
Republican Rick Scarbrough is facing Democrat Anne Backus for District 33 in the Tennessee House of Representatives, while state Rep. Ed Butler, a Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Joel Derek Hawn in state House District 41.
In Clinton, Lucas Heaton is facing Robert Herrell for the Ward 1 City Council seat; Larry Gann is unopposed for the Ward 2 seat; and Matthew Foster is unopposed in Ward 3.
For the Clinton city Board of Education, three candidates are vying for two Ward 1 seats. They are Deborah J. Heaton, Republican; Joey Smith, Republican; and K.K. Meredith, independent. In Ward 3, Merle Pryse is unopposed as an independent candidate.
In Norris, seven people – including the five incumbents – are seeking election to the City Council.
The incumbents are Mayor Chris Mitchell, Vice Mayor Charles P. Nicholson, Bill Grieve, Loretta Ann Painter and William Grinder.
Challengers are former Councilman Ron Hill and newcomer James “Lee” Ragsdale, who was the only one of the seven candidates who did not show up for the recent council election forum that showcased the candidates.
In Oak Ridge, four candidates are running for three City Council seats. They are Jim Dodson, Derrick M. Hammond, Charles “Chuck” Hope Jr., and Ruth Pless Rizzie.
For Oak Ridge city judge, James T. “Jim” Normand is running unopposed.
Five candidates are running for two Oak Ridge Board of Education seats. They are Republican Mary Crank, Democrats Ashley Craven and Tiffany Malone, and independents Sharon Gleason and Keith Jeter.
There also is a charter amendment on the ballot in Oak Ridge that would make Board of Education elections nonpartisan.
In Oliver Springs, Char-Lee Bailey and Kenneth T. Brown are running for the Ward 1 alderman seat on the Town Council. Terry Holland is running unopposed for the Ward 5 seat, and Becky Devaney is unopposed for Ward 6.