Early voting for the upcoming November election will begin on Wednesday across the state.
The polls will open at 9 a.m. on Oct. 19 to kick off early voting. The final day for early voting will be on Nov. 3.
Early voting will be held at the Carter County Election Commission Office, located at 116 Holston Avenue, next to the Carter County Health Department. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon through the early voting period.
Carter County Administrator of Elections Tracy Harris said she anticipates the county will see a very high voter turnout during both early voting and on the Nov. 8 Election Day.
“There were people lined up out into the parking lot on the last day to register to vote,” Harris said. “I expect a very big turnout.”
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and his staff launched a campaign on Sept. 1 encouraging residents to vote. Last week, Hargett announced that voter registrations were up across the state.
Here in Carter County, Harris said a large number of residents turned out to register to vote for the first time. As of Oct. 7, a total of 498 Carter County residents had turned in voter registration forms. The deadline to register was Oct. 11 but some mailed in registration forms are still arriving, Harris said. On Oct. 14, the number of Carter County residents registered to vote for the first time had climbed to 1,277 since Sept. 1.
“And that doesn’t include the people who came in to check their registration or change their address,” Harris said.
With the number of new registrations so high, Harris said she is expecting to see a high turnout during early voting as well as at the polls on Nov. 8.
“I think there are going to be lines wherever you go,” she said. “It’s a short ballot though so that will help some.”
Before the polls open on Oct. 19, Harris said the Election Commission will hold a public inspection for the voting machines to be used during early voting.
Machine inspection will begin at 8 a.m. that day and all candidates, political party representatives, members of the media, and the general public are invited to come and inspect the machines.
Once the inspection is completed, Harris said election officials will run zero tapes on the machines to ensure that no votes had been previously cast.
The Carter County Election Commission office is located at 116 Holston Ave., Elizabethton. For more information on the meeting, upcoming elections or voter registration questions, contact the office at 423-542-1822 or by email to elections@cartercountytn.gov.
The following races and candidates will appear on the ballot during early voting and on Election Day.
President and Vice President of the United States
• Donald J. Trump for President and Michael Pence for Vice President – Republican Party Nominee
• Hillary Clinton for President and Tim Kaine for Vice President – Democratic Party Nominee
• “Rocky” Roque De La Fuente For President and Michael Steinberg for Vice President – Independent Candidate
• Gary Johnson for President and William Weld for Vice President – Independent Candidate
• Alyson Kennedy for President and Osborne Hart for Vice President – Independent Candidate
• Mike Smith for President and Daniel White for Vice President – Independent Candidate
• Jill Stein for President and Ajamu Baraka for vice President – Independent Candidate
U.S. House of Representatives 1st Congressional District
• Phil Roe – Republican Party Nominee
• Alan Bohms – Democratic Party Nominee
• Robert Franklin – Independent Candidate
Tennessee Senate 4th Senatorial District
• Jon Lundberg – Republican Party Nominee
Tennessee House of Representatives 3rd Representative District
• Timothy Hill – Republican Party Nominee
Tennessee House of Representatives 4th Representative District
• John Holsclaw Jr. – Republican Party Nominee
City of Elizabethton – City Council
Vote for 3 candidates
• Curt Alexander
• Kim Birchfield
• Robert “Bob” Cable Jr.
• Jenett Morgan
• Jeff Treadway
City of Elizabethton – City Judge
Vote for 1 candidate
• T.J. Little Jr.
• John Walton
City of Elizabethton – School Board
Vote for 3 candidates
• Rita Bullock Booher
• Jeannette Clark
• Phil Isaacs
• Grover May
City of Watauga – City Commissioner
Vote for 3 candidates
• Dennis Hicks
• R. Dale McCracken
• Timothy Scott Peer
City of Johnson City – City Commissioner
Vote for 3 candidates
• Todd Fowler
• William “Bud” Hill Jr.
• Clayton Stout
• Ralph VanBrocklin
• Joe Wise
City of Johnson City – School Board
Vote for 3 candidates
• Tim Belisle
• Jonathan Kinnick
• Ronald Scott
• Bill Smith
• Stacie Kilday Torbett