Early voting surges 36% in Anderson County
Voting machines are set up at the early voting site in the Anderson County Government office in the Anderson Crossing Center in Norris, as seen from the public area of the county clerk’s office. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The deadline for in-person early voting is next Thursday, Oct. 29, but the deadline for turning in a request for an absentee ballot is this coming Saturday, Oct. 24, said Mark Stephens, the Anderson County elections administrator.
Those wanting to vote absentee may download the application from the county’s election website, acelection.com.
So far, as of the end of Saturday, Oct. 17, a total of 3,846 people had voted early either by machine (3,676) or by paper ballot (170). That compares with 2,825 who voted in the first four days of early voting in 2022, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website – an increase of 36.14% from four years ago.
“It has been a healthy turnout so far,” Stephens told The Courier News on Monday afternoon. “We expect that to continue through the (October) 29th.”
Stephens attributed the higher early voter turnout to “some contested races this year, particularly in Oak Ridge and Clinton.”
Statewide, early voting turnout totaled 305,844, up 72.13% from the first four days of 2022 total of 177,677. The website noted that 91 of Tennessee’s 95 counties have reported increases in early voting from 2022. The running results can be found online at https://sos.tn.gov/govotetn.
Early voting began last Wednesday (Oct. 14) in three locations in Anderson County:
• Anderson County Fair Association Building, 218 Nave St., Clinton.
• Midtown Community Center, 102 Robertsville Road, Oak Ridge.
• Anderson County government office, Anderson Crossing Shopping Center (Norris/Andersonville), 3324 Andersonville Highway, next door to Anderson Crossing Pharmacy.
Early-voting hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. until noon Saturday.
Voters will make choices among candidates for federal, state and municipal offices, including choosing a successor to Gov. Bill Lee.
Clinton, Norris, Rocky Top, Oak Ridge and Oliver Springs all have municipal offices on the ballot, although there is no opposition for any of the seats up for election in Norris and Rocky Top.
In Clinton, the mayor’s race includes three candidates.
Running for governor are Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn; Democrat Jerri Green, a Memphis environmental activist; and 13 independent candidates.
U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican, faces Democrat Marquita Bradshaw and eight independent candidates.
Tennessee District 3 U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican, faces Democrat Anna Golladay and five independent candidates.
Also up for a vote are three 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 to replace retiring Sen. Randy McNally.
The complete sample ballot for the Nov. 3 general election in Anderson County may be found online at https://www.acelection.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/November-2026-Sample-Ballot.pdf.