KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — At a little more than the halfway point, early voting in Knox County is lower than what some had expected, the Knox County elections administrator said Monday.
Friday, July 19, marked the halfway point for early voting. As of Saturday, July 20, 13,564 people had cast an early ballot. In addition, 1,463 people have voted by absentee.
There are 303,000 eligible Knox County voters for the Aug. 1 ballot.
Early voting started July 12 and continues through Saturday, July 27. There are 11 early voting locations throughout the county where you can cast a ballot. Many are open Monday-Saturday.
The August ballot features a general election for county offices such as Knox County Commission and Knox County Board of Education. Farragut races also are on the ballot if you live in that town.
The ballot also reflects primaries for state and federal races, including a U.S. Senate seat from Tennessee.
You can see sample ballots here.
Elections chief Chris Davis said turnout so far has proved lower than he expected. It doesn't appear voters are as engaged at this point as he expected.
Some people are asking his office about the U.S. presidential race. That election isn't until the fall, with early voting in October and the actual election day on Nov. 5.
Typically, early voting picks up in the last couple days.
Races of note include a Republican primary for state Senate District 6 and a Democratic primary for House District 15. Almost all county races are competitive.
Election Commission figures show in 2022 there were 12,438 early voters at the midpoint. In 2020, there were 16,776 at the midpoint, and in 2018, there were 17,916 voters at the midpoint.
The great bulk of voters this summer, as in polls past, is made up of people age 55 and older. More than 7,600 Republican ballots were requested; some 4,600 Democratic ballot have been cast.
July 25 is the deadline to request an absentee ballot.
