As of Thursday, July 30 in Hamilton County’s Early Voting window that ran July 17-August 1, more than 94% of registered voters of Tennessee’s fourth most populated county still had not yet participated in casting their ballot in the Thursday, August 6 primary for state and federal elections and the general election for the county leadership.
Of the county’s 218,764 registered voters, only 23,944 had voted, or about an 11% turnout.
That takes our breath looking at the appearance of apathy, but Hamilton County Election Commission Administrator Scott Allen noted the flow of voters to be “outstanding” compared to previous primary cycles. This pace will come close to the 15% recorded in the 2024 August elections for Early Voting with a projected 22-25% turnout for the entire Election after the polls close Thursday.
While this August’s election’s pace may be up, the cause is simply competitive races of interest that will determine policy. No, issues are not on the ballot, as in a referendum, they are in reality. Candidates’ platforms give ideas and trends of stances and pledges that predict their leadership plans.
The competitive races include the Republican Party gubernatorial primary, a few contested school board races, with other countywide posts vying for election. But voter apathy continues to prevail on the whole with much greater interest in the government that is furthest from them in Washington, DC, rather than here at home in Chattanooga, Tennessee!
Voter apathy is often associated with predictable partisan outcomes, limited competition, weak local news consumption, distrust of institutions, and campaign fatigue if races get too heated and toxic. Saddest, however, is the belief with too many that individual votes don’t matter. How often do candidates paint themselves one way in the campaign then govern in another? Over time, this takes a toll of voter trust more than many other factors.
Sample ballots for both the Republican and Democrat primaries are available online at https://elect.hamiltontn.gov/sampleballots. Your vote does matter. Otherwise, small, more intense voter groups can have a disproportionate impact on municipal and state government.
In Hamilton County, $1 billion of your tax dollars will be spent over the next year. Tennessee’s statewide budget will spend at least $59.5 billion of your tax dollars.
Never forget, governments have no money. Governments only have the money taken from law-abiding citizens who work, own property, and engage in work, retail and business transactions. It is YOUR money. Make the decision to have a voice in how that money is spent and who stewards it best for the greatest number of people.
Early voting ended August 1. Election Day is Thursday, August 6 with polls open from 8 am – 8 pm on Election Day.