With one major election for the year down, members of the Carter County Election Commission are now looking toward the next time residents will head to the polls to cast their votes.
The County General Election and State Primary Election will be held on August 4, but there are some deadlines approaching quickly that potential candidates will want to be aware of.
As part of the County General Election, voters will cast ballots for the Assessor of Property, four members of the Carter County Board of Education, three unexpired terms on the Carter County Commission, one unexpired term for a Carter County Constable position.
Candidates for the Assessor of Property race and elections for unexpired terms to represent the 1st and 3rd District on the Carter County Commission have already been qualified and narrowed down by the Republican Primary held earlier this month.
An unexpired term to represent the 8th District on the Commission will appear on the General Election ballot as a non-partisan race as will the position for a Constable for the county’s 7th district.
Carter County Administrator of Elections said those races were not eligible for participation in the primary election because the vacancies were created after a deadline in the election process.
The seats up for grabs on the Carter County Board of Education — representing the 1st, 4th, 6th and 8th districts — will also appear on the ballot without a party affiliation.
“They always run non-partisan,” Harris said of the school board.
On the state side, voters will be asked to choose between the Republican and Democrat primaries for the Tennessee Senate 4th District seat, currently held by Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, and the Tennessee House of Representative seats for the House 3rd and 4th Districts, currently held by Rep. Timothy Hill and Rep. John Holsclaw respectively.
Also up for election this year is the U.S. House of Representatives seat for the 1st Congressional District, which is currently held by U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, M.D.
One of the state’s two seats in the U.S. Senate — currently held by Sen. Bob Corker — is also up for election this year.
The deadline for a candidate to qualify for any of the offices that will appear on the August 4 ballot is Noon on April 7.
Candidates seeking one of the seats on the Carter County BOE, the unexpired 8th District Commission seat or the unexpired 7th District Constable’s position must file a petition bearing the signatures of at least 25 registered voters within their appointed district with the Election Commission in order to qualify for the election, Harris said.
“The school board and constable candidates have to have a proof of a high school diploma or equivalent,” Harris said, adding that the candidates for constable must also be 21 years of age or older.
All those applying as potential candidates in the county election must also be a registered voter within their appointed district, Harris said.
The voter registration deadline for the August election is July 5.
For more information, to pick up candidate paperwork or to register to vote, contact the Election Commission office at 423-542-1822 or in person at 116 Holston Ave., Elizabethton.