Anderson County turnout up nearly 30% as voters prepare for Nov. 3
Voters exit the early-voting location for the Nov. 3 general election at Anderson Crossing in Norris shortly after the doors opened on the first day last Wednesday. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The most interest among Tennessee voters appears to be in the selection of a replacement for term-limited Gov. Bill Lee.
Nationwide, the balance of power in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives will be decided in this midterm election.
Running for governor are Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn; Democrat Jerri Green; and 13 independent candidates.
There are 28 election-day polling places. A list of them may be found on the sample ballot published on page 8A in this issue and at www.acelection.com/polling-place-locations/. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Unlike early voting, which has only three polling places, on election day every voter must go to the voting site for the precinct in which he or she is registered.
Early voting for Nov. 3 continues to outpace 2022’s totals, the last midterm election, in both Anderson County and statewide as of the end of the day Saturday, Oct. 24, reflecting the first 10 days of this year’s early voting.
Ballots cast through Saturday in Anderson County totaled 9,757, which is up 29.63% from the first 10 days of 2022, which totaled 7,527, or nearly 20% of the county’s registered voters.
Anderson County has 50,739 registered voters, according to the Election Commission website. In the November 2022 general election, 21,629 people voted in Anderson County, which was a 45% total voter turnout.
Statewide, the total through the first 10 days of early voting was 815,772, up 51.97% ballots cast in the same period in 2022, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website. As of June, Tennessee had 4.73 million registered voters, with 3.984 million being shown as “active” voters.
Of Tennessee’s 95 counties, 92 were reporting increases in early voting from 2022, through the first 10 days.
“It has been a healthy turnout so far,” Anderson County Elections Administrator Mark Stephens told The Courier News last week. “We expected that to continue through the (October) 29th.”
He attributed the higher early voter turnout to “some contested races this year, particularly in Oak Ridge and Clinton.”
Early voting locations in Anderson County are:
• 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.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
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.
U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican, faces Democrat Marquita Bradshaw, a Memphis environmental activist, 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 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.
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 Norris 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 on pages 8-9A of this issue and online at www.acelection.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/November-2026-Sample-Ballot.pdf.