Election administrators regionwide are preparing for a significant turnout as they finalize preparations for Thursday’s election.
Overton County Elections Administrator Craig Story said polling locations will be open from 9am to 7pm at nine precincts throughout the county. Story said voters must cast their ballots at their specific community polling places rather than the early voting site used in previous weeks.
“Some people they come in and early vote and they’ll come in and see us and they’ll say, ‘But I’ve always voted here,’” Story said. “Well, they may have, but it’s usually early voting. And so in order to save them a trip, we just want them to know that tomorrow it’s going to be at their polling place out in their communities.”
Jackson County Administrator of Elections Drew McMillan said voters can identify their designated precinct by using the GoVoteTN app or by calling the local election office. McMillan said the county expects approximately 2,000 voters to visit 13 different precincts on election day.
“It is a longer ballot this time,” McMillan said, “So it will take the voters a little longer in the booth, but hopefully you know, they can be at their precinct and then in and out within, you know, 15-20 minutes.”
Fentress County Election Administrator Joey Williams said voters must present a Tennessee-issued photo ID, which can be current or expired, or a federally issued photo ID such as a passport. Williams said the county saw 3,112 early voters, representing 21 percent of the electorate.
“We take a lot of pride in it, I mean we, we try to take care of everybody and, and the way I look at it, everybody’s my customer and I try real hard to take care of my customers and so does our staff,” Williams said. “And it’s very important that we want everyone’s vote to count.”
Williams said the election process utilizes bipartisan teams of Democrats and Republicans to verify machines and manage the office staff. Williams said the Microvote machines used in the county include a verified paper trail audit to ensure ballot accuracy.
“It’s very secure,” Williams said. “And we have a lot of confidence in our machines and our staff. And, and that’s what makes this election process work. It’s our people working together.”
McMillan said the voting process includes a voter-verified paper audit trail on all machines and a mandatory audit following the conclusion of the election. McMillan said the office provides sample ballots on its website and in the local newspaper to help residents prepare for the longer ballot.
“We take great pride in knowing that we are some of the reasons and the poll workers are the reasons, you know, Tennessee is number one in election integrity across the nation,” McMillan said. “Just especially during early voting, getting to see all the citizens and voters come in and you know, just get to see them briefly, but you know, it’s great being out in the community and seeing everyone.”
Story said more than 3,100 residents participated in early voting, which typically accounts for approximately half of the total local turnout. Story said election workers have completed a school of instruction and have already secured supplies for the precincts.
“They do just a fantastic job for us working out there,” Story said. “And they’re they’re ready for it and so we’ve got our supplies out to our officers already.”
Story said the presence of bipartisan machine technicians and poll workers provides a system of checks and balances for the community. Story said these procedures are designed to ensure the election is fair, honest, and open to public questions.
“Whenever I look at our workers and talk to our workers like we had the school of instruction last night, you know, those guys they don’t do it for the money,” Story said. “They do it because they are interested in a service that they can provide to their community and they take a whole lot of pride in what they do and I’m tickled to death to be a part of it with them.”
McMillan said Jackson County will post election results on its official website and announce them at the courthouse square once the polls close.