Tennessee’s general election is Nov. 2, but voters don’t need to wait to cast a ballot. Beginning today, they can do so at early voting sites. It’s an option many individuals exercise. According to county election officials, the percentage of those who vote early continues to increase from one election cycle to the next. The heightened participation, in fact, prompted the addition of an additional early voting site for the current election.
Early voting stations in Hamilton County are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the Brainerd Recreation Center at 1010 North Moore Road, at Northgate Mall and, for the first time, at Eastwood Church, 4300 Ooltewah-Ringgold Road in the Apison-Collegedale area. Early voting is also available at the Hamilton County Election Commission office at 700 River Terminal Road off Amnicola Highway. It’s open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The early voting period ends Oct. 28.
Early voting significantly extends the time in which voters can cast a ballot. Indeed, individuals no longer have to worry that an unexpected illness or event might make it difficult or impossible to reach the polls on Election Day. Early voting provides an opportunity to cast a ballot at one’s convenience.
Many people still prefer to vote on the traditional day. That’s fine. The process is the same in either instance. Registered voters need only appear at one of the designated early voting sites or at their traditional precinct on Nov. 2 at an appropriate time. A Tennessee driver’s license or voter registration card is required.
The ballot this election cycle is relatively short, as it often is in non-presidential election years. That does not diminish the importance of the election. A choice still must be made between Democrat Mike McWherter, Republican Bill Haslam and a host of independent candidates for governor. That is the only statewide contest on the ballot.
On the regional and local level, John Wolfe, the Democratic nominee, Chuck Fleischmann, the GOP primary winner, and several independents are battling to succeed retiring Rep. Zach Wamp as Tennessee’s 3rd District congressman. Incumbent state Rep. Tommie F. Brown, a Democrat, faces Teresa Wood, a Republican, in the only contested state House or Senate race on the ballot. Several municipal races and yea or nay votes on a Tennessee constitutional Amendment and an amendment to a Chattanooga ordinance complete the Nov. 2 ballot.
The current ballot might be short and public interest lower than in the 2008 presidential election year, but those are poor excuses to avoid voting. Citizens have an obligation to participate in government. Casting a ballot – either early or on Election Day – fulfills that vital civic duty.