Today is local Primary Day for most Tennessee counties, and for much of East Tennessee that will mean contested Republican Primaries that will usually decide local elections for the year for many county mayoralties, Sheriffs, and constitutional officers. In my home county of Jefferson, a three-way race both for county mayor and Sheriff in this red-meat Republican bastion has consumed most local voters for months. Aside from the campaigns for county executive and Sheriff, there is a six way race for Register of Deeds in Jefferson County since our current Register of Deeds, Sarah Webb, is retiring. I must admit that I've never seen so much interest in a race for Register of Deeds before, or such a diverse field for that office.
Similarly, in Knox County, the campaign to replace the scandal-plagued Mike Ragsdale as Knox County Mayor has been a very long one indeed, and even though there will be token Democratic opposition at the local general election in August, the Knox County mayoral election will essentially be over today.
Since my campaign for the Republican State Executive Committee is decided in August, I'll be sitting this one out except to greet a few people leaving the polls today and remind them to vote again in a State Republican Primary in less than four months. In attending a few local campaign rallies and events, I've discovered that this spring poll has left a great deal of voter fatigue in its wake, as well as exhausting the candidates-and I can speak to this to some degree because up to this point, both myself and my chief opponent have been operating on the same schedule of local events as those who will end their campaigns in victory or defeat tonight. One thing this experience has caused me to believe is that our local and State primaries in Tennessee should no longer be divided-one held in May and the other in August-both the local and State primaries should be held on the same day in May. County government calendars in Tennessee should be reformed to allow for county general elections on the same day that many the State and many small towns have their election-on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, with winners taking office in either December (county) or January (State). August could be reserved for special elections and "emergency" ballot issues. The State and county election commissions would have to deal with a much longer ballot, but could save precious time and money by combining primaries. Such a system would also be less likely to promote voter fatigue.
Such an idea is wishful thinking, however-it makes sense.
Comments
I don't believe the county governments should be reformed to accommodate private political parties. I think the private political parties should pay for their own primary elections. Then they could hold them whenever they want - and control the voting members. Since I help pay for them, I feel obliged to vote in the primaries. My Republican ballot today only had one contested office. The Democratic one was even more sparse because, as you note, they just don't field candidates for many of the local offices. The "it's combined with other elections so it doesn't cost anything" logic for these primaries just didn't apply today. It only served the parties themselves.
If you and others cant't be bothered to take a few hours several times a year to vote, then don't. Those who claim voter fatigue are another example of a lazy americans. I bet you spend more time going to your favorite eating establishment then you do voting. Put it in perspective and quit whining.
Matt;
I really don't know what you are talking about, since I have never missed an election in my life, and likely never will. If you don't believe there is such a thing as voter fatigue, run for office and you'll see how tired voters can get. When they are saturated with campaign material and election news in the lead up to votes, it causes a certain level of turn-off-that is voter fatigue.
Eric;
I am all for our political parties paying for our own primaries just as soon as we are allowed to close them. Current law doesn't allow the parties to do that, and as long as Tennessee has open primaries, they will likely be taxpayer-funded. Close the primaries and I'm all for partisan funding (closing the primaries isn't likely to happen anytime soon.
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