Early voting for county primary elections in Hamilton County is underway.
Six locations opened Wednesday for voters to cast ballots in Republican or Democratic primaries for county positions like mayor, County Commission, school board and some court races. Early voting ends April 30, and election day is May 5.
Residents are required to have a photo ID issued by the state of Tennessee or the federal government to vote.
Voters can cast ballots in the Republican or Democratic primary, whichever they choose to affiliate with. Candidates for five County Commission and four county school board seats, as well as one Criminal Court Clerk seat, have contested primary races.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press sent issue questionnaires to candidates in contested commission and school board primaries, and the responses can be found at timesfreepress.com/2026elections.
Early voting in Hamilton County primaries begins
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In the 2024 Chattanooga area primary, 35,184 votes were counted in the three contested races, according to information provided by the Hamilton County Election Commission.
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Four of the County Commission races will likely be decided by the primary.
In Commission District 4, which covers downtown Chattanooga, Fort Wood, Orchard Knob, Highland Park, Ridgedale and Avondale, there is no Republican or independent challenger. There is also no Republican or independent challenger in District 5, which covers Brainerd, Woodmore, Washington Hills, Eastdale and Ridgeside.
In Commission District 9, which includes Harrison, Snow Hill and Birchwood, there is no Democratic or independent challenger. There is also no Democratic or independent challenger in District 10, which covers Ooltewah, Collegedale and Georgetown.
(READ MORE: Election board denies challenge to Hamilton County Commission candidate’s name)
The school board race in District 5 will be decided by the primary, as there is no Republican or independent challenger running.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is April 25. You can find information on applying for an absentee ballot on the Election Commission’s website.
To find a sample ballot for your district, visit the Election Commission website.
Contact politics reporter Ruby Rayner at rrayner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6556.