Early voting ended Thursday. And while voter turnout in Chattanooga’s municipal election will be a fraction of the presidential race last November or the Georgia runoff last month, the impact cannot be overstated.
The final early voting figures will be out in a matter of hours. Times Free Press reporter Sarah Grace Taylor reported that heading into the final day of early voting, turnout was stronger than in the previous two city elections.
But even if the 2017 totals – when about 19.6% of Chattanooga residents participated in the city elections – jump 10%, that number is barely more than 1-in-5 registered voters who will decide our next mayor.
Think about that, fewer than 20,000 votes for more than a dozen candidates who combined have raised more than half a million dollars. Forget commercials, if you could ID those 20,000 who fulfill their civic duty – and the fact that local government has way more impact on our daily lives than federal government – and hand each $25, well, there you go.
Ticket punched to City Hall.