Early voting options shrink to four locations as Foothills Mall bows out

Early voters in the Maryville area may need to rearrange plans to cast their ballots ahead of the Aug. 1 and Nov. 5 races. Previously one of the most visited early voting locations in Blount County, Foothills Mall will not open its doors to voters again in 2024.

Foothills Mall management opted against continuing to lease space to the Blount County Election Commission earlier this year. Instead, the space used by the elections office will be rented to Spirit Halloween, a seasonal specialty store.

The move takes the number of polling places available during early voting from five to four. With the next early voting period beginning July 12, Blount elections officials are actively looking for a replacement site.

Next steps

The early voting period for the Aug. 1 election runs from July 12 through July 27.

“We so enjoyed hosting (early voting) there,” said Tia Spires, the mall’s general manager. In a Monday phone interview, she left open the possibility that the elections office could return to the mall if a space becomes available in the future.

The mall first became an early voting site ahead of the November 2020 election, and during that period was the most-visited polling place. Since then Foothills Mall has been the second-most-visited early voting location, behind the Blount County Public Library.

In Blount County’s most recent election cycle, 311 people cast ballots at the mall in early voting period for the March 5, 2024, election, 141 fewer than at the library.

Administrator of Elections Moe Click told The Daily Times in a Monday phone interview that his office is now researching two possible new early voting sites in different areas of the county. The mall’s decision to stop leasing space to the elections office wasn’t expected, but was also “not a surprise,” Click said.

“There’s always a possibility that something like this happens,” he said of the mall’s decision to rent to a retailer.

The election commission aims to make a new location available to county voters before the July early voting period, though Click noted that early voting in August elections is traditionally somewhat low. In the 2022 and 2020 early voting periods preceding an August race, 8,164 and 10,270 county residents cast ballots, respectively.

There are currently more than 95,000 registered voters in Blount County.

A new location will be a necessity ahead of the November races, Click said. In November 2022, 20,624 Blount County voters cast a ballot early. In 2020, the last time a presidential race appeared on a general election ballot, 51,044 people voted early.

Early voting for the November 2024 election will start Oct. 16 and end Oct. 31.

Click told the newspaper he expects to present more information about prospective locations during the election commission’s meeting next Wednesday, April 17.

Where to vote

As the election office searches for a new site, voters will still be able to cast early ballots at:

• Blount County Public Library, 508 N. Cusick St., Maryville;

• Everett Recreation Center and Athletic Complex, 318 S. Everett High Road, Maryville;

• Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County campus, 2731 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Friendsville; and

• Providence Baptist Church annex, 5766 Sevierville Road, Seymour.

Tennesseans have until July 2 to register to vote in the August races and Oct. 7 to register in time for the November election.

In August, county residents have the chance to vote on local matters, as well as state and federal representatives. Candidates are contesting seats on the Blount County Board of Education and the Townsend and Friendsville city commissions in general elections Aug. 1. Some primary races at the state and federal level will also decide which candidates act as their parties’ standard bearers in November.

Blount Countians this year also will help elect the president of the United States, a U.S. senator — Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, faces Democratic Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson, of Knoxville — and a representative in the U.S. House in November. Seats on the Maryville City Council, Alcoa Board of Commissioners and Louisville Board of Mayor and Aldermen will also be up for election.