Election administrators across the Upper Cumberland are preparing for a significant wave of voters as early voting begins for the upcoming August election.
Overton County Administrator of Elections Craig Story said the presence of numerous county offices and state primaries on the ballot should drive local residents to the polls. Story said he anticipates a strong showing from the community because several local positions are vacant or feature new candidates.
“Well, I expect early voting’s going to do pretty well this time around,” Story said. “We’ve got a lot of county offices that are on the ballot and we’ve also got state primaries going for several offices at that level, so I think we’ll have a pretty good turnout.”
Story said Overton County typically sees approximately 50 percent of its total vote cast during the early voting period. Story said he expects the total turnout for this election cycle to range between 5,000 and 6,000 voters.
“Well, I think it’s very convenient for people for one thing,” Story said. “People get accustomed to doing things a certain way and generally speaking our early voting goes pretty smoothly and we don’t generally have long lines and so, you know, most people are in town at least once every couple of weeks and so if they drive by the community center here and they see that there’s not a line, you know, why not go ahead and take advantage of early voting?”
The administrator said the local races often have as much influence over daily life as national elections. Story said the Overton County Election Commission is as ready as it can be to serve the citizens.
“Well, I don’t ever want to say we’re completely prepared, but I think we’ve done a pretty good job,” Story said. “I think we’re about as ready as we’re going to be, but we’re going to keep on working hard and just hope and pray that we do a good job for the citizens of the county.”
In Putnam County, Administrator of Elections Jennifer Murphy said she expects turnout to potentially exceed the numbers seen during the May primary. Murphy said the inclusion of municipal elections alongside state and federal primaries has increased public interest in the contest.
“I think it’s probably because people have already made up their mind,” Murphy said. “Specifically for the local. Usually kind of what we believe for like a March presidential preference primary, people are kind of waiting to see who drops out or what happens in the debates and like that. For a local election, usually the citizens have already kind of made up their mind who they want to vote for.”
Murphy said early voting turnout in Putnam County varies by election, sometimes reaching between 10,000 and 11,000 total voters. Murphy said the early voting process allows the office to process voters more quickly than the precincts can on Election Day.
“Early voting is such a great offer for the community to come out and vote,” Murphy said. “The line, if there is a line, it moves very quickly. We’re able to look people up, get them through a lot faster than the precincts on election day. So I hope people take advantage of that.”
White County Administrator of Elections Sherry Anderson said she expects between 4,000 and 4,500 people to utilize early voting. Anderson said the August election serves as the final determination for who will represent the community in various local offices.
“They want to be able to have their voice heard,” Anderson said. “This August election also has not only the state and federal primary elections for the Republican and Democratic Party, but it also has all of the White County General, which includes local offices, and they want to have their to be able to have their voice heard of who they want to represent them for those specific offices.”
Anderson said the majority of White County voters prefer to vote early because it provides flexibility for those who work out of town. Anderson said the office began preparing for the August election immediately after certifying the May results.
“The majority of the people vote early,” Anderson said. “That gives them the flexibility. It has a they have more days to to work with their schedule to be able to come and vote.”
Early voting for the August election begins on July 17 and runs through August 1. All administrators said voters must present a state or federal photo identification to cast their ballot.
