Carter, Unicoi early voting turnout slow, low – not so in Johnson

By Buzz Trexler

Star Correspondent

A little more than halfway through the early voting window, voters in Carter and Unicoi counties are not exactly rushing to the polls for the Aug. 1 state and federal primaries and general elections, but that’s not the case in Johnson County.

“We are approximately 300 short as the same timeframe in March, so we are steady but still slow,” Carter County Administrator of Elections Tracy Tanner-Harris said by email Monday.

Unicoi County Administrator of Elections Sara Fain said in a phone call Monday that turnout there was similarly slow. “It’s going steady, but kind of a low turnout,” Fain said. “I think we’re probably a little bit lower than we were in March, but it was also a little bit of a low turnout. I would say pretty similar.”

In Johnson County, the turnout has been different.

“The turnout’s much more,” said Johnson County Administrator of Elections Cheri Lipford by phone, attributing the high interest to the race for county sheriff. Three Independent candidates are vying to fill the unexpired term of Sheriff Eddie Tester, who died unexpectedly Aug. 11, 2023; Thomas “TJ” Brown, Johnny W. Roberts, and Clifton Worley, who was appointed interim sheriff by the Johnson County Commission on Oct. 23, 2023.

Early voting began July 12 and continues through Saturday, July 27. The deadline for absentee ballot requests is Thursday, July 25.

“People seem to really like the new voting machines where you can see who you voted for on the printer before casting your vote,” Tanner-Harris said. “I’m glad.”

In 2022, Gov. Bill signed legislation mandating that beginning with the 2024 election season voting machines used by a county election commission must produce a voter-verifiable paper audit trail. Earlier this year, the Carter County Election Commission opened a newly constructed annex that houses the new machines when they are not being used at the precincts.

On the Carter County Ballot

There are 11 offices on the General Election ballot, all of which have unopposed candidates: Jason E. Clawson, County Commission District 6; Lesley Hughes, County Commission District 7; Jerry C. Stout, County Commission District 8; Shane Simerly, Assessor of Property; Shannon Burchett, Superintendent of Roads; Keith Bowers, School Board District 1; Danny R. Ward, School Board District 4; Nancy (Renee) Lewis, School Board District 6; Dylan Hill, School Board District 8; Michael Mason, Constable District 2; and Shannon Bower, Constable District 5.

With no Democratic opposition, all but three of those offices were decided during the March 5 Republican Primary, with unexpired County Commission Districts 7 and 8 seats and the District 5 Constable post becoming open due to resignations within the past year. District 8 Commissioner Cody McQueen resigned in December 2023, and District 7 Commissioner Daniel McInturff submitted his resignation in January. District 5 Constable Mark Carrier resigned early this year.

After representing the 4 th District in the state House of Representatives since 2015, state Rep. John B. Holsclaw Jr. decided against reelection and instead sought the Republican nomination for Carter County Assessor of Property, losing to Simerly in the March 5 primary.

Since no candidate filed for the Aug. 1 Democratic Primary in the House District 4 race to represent Unicoi County and part of Carter County, voters in the Republican Primary will effectively decide the seat as they choose between Curt Alexander, longtime mayor of Elizabethton, and Renea Jones, president of Jones and Church Farms in Unicoi.

Timothy Aaron Hill, incumbent in the District 3 state House race, is unopposed in the Republican Primary, while Lori Love is unopposed in the Democratic Primary for that seat. District 3 includes Johnson County and part of Carter, Hawkins, and Sullivan counties, including Blountville.

Incumbent Marsha Blackburn, who has represented Tennessee in the U.S. Senate since 2019, is opposed by Tres Wittum in the race to retain her seat. Blackburn was the first woman to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate. If elected, the 36-year-old Wittum would be the first Millennial in that seat; Blackburn is 72.

In the Democratic Primary for the U.S. Senate, there are four candidates: Marquita Bradshaw, of Memphis; Lola Denise Brown, of Nashville; Gloria Johnson, of Knoxville; and Civil Miller-Watkins, of Rossville. Bradshaw was the party’s nominee to oppose Blackburn in 2020; Johnson currently serves District 90 in the state House of Representatives.

Diana Harshbarger is unopposed in the Republican Primary for her 1 st District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. There are two candidates for the nomination in the Democratic Primary: Kevin Jenkins, of Sneedville, and Bennett H. Lapides, of Gatlinburg. Lapides lost the 2020 race for the state House District 12 seat (part of Sevier County), being soundly defeated by Republican Dale Carr.

Also on the ballot are the questions of judicial retention regarding state Supreme Court Judge Dwight Tarwater and Court of Criminal Appeals Western Division Judge Matthew J. Wilson.

Voters in the Johnson City District will have the opportunity to vote on two referendums regarding changes to the city charter, as well as Juvenile Court Clerk and Johnson City School Board seats.

The Carter County Election Commission, 116 Holston Ave., is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday. Polls are open on Aug. 1 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The post Carter, Unicoi early voting turnout slow, low – not so in Johnson appeared first on www.elizabethton.com .