Critical transportation referendum, statewide Senate race at stake in Tennessee
Writer: Jerrica DuBois
July 2024 — Early voting has kicked off for Tennessee state elections, and according to the Secretary of State website, residents should take advantage of it.
“Early voting is quick and easy, and registered Tennessee voters will likely experience shorter wait times during early voting,” said State Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins in a press release. “I encourage all eligible Tennessee voters to take advantage of the convenience of early voting.”
Tennessee’s 4.5 million registered voters can fill out ballots in-person at a county election commission office or, in some areas, at the office’s satellite voting location ahead of the Aug. 1 primaries. Absentee ballots are also available to voters who meet the eligibility circumstances.
The election includes primary races for Republican Marsha Blackburn’s U.S. Senate seat. Blackborn is looking to capture her second six-year term in office. Additionally, House of Representative seats — nine U.S. House and 99 seats in the Tennessee House — are up for election. Only the even-numbered state Senate seats are up for grabs in 2024.
Among those races is the 5th Congressional District Republican primary, which will be the first reelection campaign for U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Columbia. Ogles will face off against Courtney Johnston, a council member from Metro Nashville. While Johnston’s campaign is well-funded, unseating an incumbent can be challenging. In some races, candidates are running unopposed, including U.S. House Districts 2, 3, and 7.
Several Tennessee counties will also hold general elections for open offices. In Davidson County, five Metro Nashville Public Schools board seats are on the ballot, with all but two candidates running unopposed. Issues in the school board races include the state’s push for an expanded school voucher program, allowing teachers to arm themselves and the contentious topic of third-grade retention. Williamson County has six uncontested school board races, and in Wilson County, there are two contested school board races as well a contested race for the county assessor of property.
Looking towards November, while the country watches the presidential election, Nashville residents are facing an arguably more impactful decision: approving Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transportation improvement program. Metro Council recently approved the language for the ballot, which places the estimated capital cost for the project at over $3 billion. If approved, the transit program will be funded by federal grants, revenues from transportation system fares, debt, and a sales tax surcharge of 0.5%.
“Council’s strong support for our transportation referendum puts Nashville on the doorstep of a great opportunity,” O’Connell said, as cited by WSMV4. “Choose How You Move builds on more than 66,000 ideas submitted by Nashvillians over more than a decade, includes improvements in each Council district for all roadway users, and has the potential to unlock as much as $1.4 billion in state and federal funding throughout the life of the program so more of Nashville’s tax dollars return home to our city. Sidewalks, signals, service, and safety are the things Nashville residents are asking for. They’re the things we know we need, and the vote in November represents our best chance yet to change our transportation future.”
READ MORE: Nashville Mayor O’Connell’s transit referendum takes shape
On a national level, concern of voter fraud continues to rise as we head into election season. In Colorado, a case of voter intimidation has gone to trial to determine whether the tactics used broke federal law. Michigan recently passed a law that would prohibit election recounts conducted due to allegations of fraud and in instances where the findings of a recount would not impact election results. In contrast, Georgia has enacted legislation that made it easier to challenge voter eligibility. Any registered voter in the state can file an unlimited number of voter challenges with their local elections board alleging that people on the voter rolls are not eligible to vote. This increases the rise of residents losing their right to vote or having to defend the allegations at public hearings.
In the midst of this, Tennessee received the National Clearinghouse Award for Excellence in Election Administration earlier this month for its American Sign Language (ASL) Video Project. The video series, which has been viewed more than 24,000 times, provides trusted election information to Tennesseans who are deaf or hard of hearing. Tennessee has also been ranked number one in election integrity for three consecutive years. The Secretary of State’s Office is also the trusted source for all election information for Tennessee resdients.
“Our Division of Elections continues to identify innovative solutions to increase opportunities for registered voters to prepare for and successfully cast a ballot,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett in a press release.
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