Early voting starts Oct. 14 at 3 sites
The County Clerk’s office in the Anderson Crossing shopping center on Andersonville Highway in Norris will be one of three early-voting sites in Anderson County. The others are in Clinton and Oak Ridge. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Among the choices voters will make in the election is the successor to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, among other offices.
The front-runner in the governor’s race is Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who faces Democrat Jerri Green, a Memphis environmental activist, and 13 independent candidates.
Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty is facing Democrat challenger Marquita Bradshaw and eight independent candidates.
Tennessee District 3 U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican, faces Democrat challenger Anna Golladay and five independent candidates.
The three locations for early voting in Anderson County are:
• Anderson County Fair Association Building, 218 Nave St., Clinton.
• Midtown Community Center, 102 Robertsville Road, Oak Ridge.
• Anderson County Government Offices, Anderson Crossing Shopping Center (Norris/Andersonville), 3324 Andersonville Highway, next door to Anderson Crossing Pharmacy.
Voting hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. until noon Saturday.
Besides state and federal offices up for election, municipal offices in Clinton, Oak Ridge, Norris, Rocky Top, and Oliver Springs are on the ballot.
Also up for a vote are three proposed Tennessee constitutional amendments.
The only mayoral race with a choice of candidates is in Clinton, where incumbent Scott Burton is facing challengers Delanie Davis and Stephen McNally.
Rocky Top Mayor Kerry Templin is running unopposed for a second four-year term.
Two incumbent Rocky Top council members, Jeff Gilliam and Joe Tackett, are also running unopposed for the two council seats on the Nov. 3 ballot.
For Clinton City Council, Rick Meredith is facing Andrea Townsend for the Ward 1 City Council seat; Brian D. Hatmaker is unopposed for the Ward 2 seat; and incumbent Wendy Maness is opposed by Cathie Auxier for the Ward 3 seat.
On the Anderson County Commission, Republican Don A. Layton faces Democrat Gina Grubb in the special election for the open District 8 seat in the Oak Ridge area.
In Norris, there are only five candidates for the five City Council seats.
On the ballot are Councilmen Bill Grieve and Charles P. “Chuck” Nicholson, who are the only previously elected candidates to file, along with Councilmen Travis Honeycutt and Alex Munro, recent appointments to the board, and newcomer Zach Cross.
Absent from the race is Mayor Chris Mitchell, who has chosen not to run for re-election this year after serving nearly 18 years on the council – all of them as mayor.
Mitchell said in early July that he “will not be entering into City Council Election process this cycle.”
“I will be serving out my current term, and assisting in the transition process as requested,” he said in an email., adding: “I’m excited about starting some new great adventures.”
All five Norris council members are elected every two years.
The mayor is chosen by a majority vote of the new City Council when it meets for the first time, in December following the November election. The mayor’s position is never on the city’s ballot for voters to choose.
District 33, Republican state Rep. Rick Scarbrough faces Democrat Anne Backus.
And in District 41 incumbent state Rep. Ed Butler, a Republican, faces Democrat R. Jason Goodman.
For state Senate District 5, Republican Jimmy Matlock is facing Democrat David Miller t replace retiring Sen. Randy McNally.
The complete sample ballot for the Nov. 3 general election in Anderson County may be found inside this newspaper, or online at https://www.acelection.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/November-2026-Sample-Ballot.pdf.