MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Glenn Campbell hopes the "I voted" sticker he received after voting at the Maryville City Municipal Building on Super Tuesday stays on his shirt until November.
Campbell, who moved to East Tennessee with his wife seven years ago, was finally able to make his first vote in a U.S. presidential election during Tuesday's primary election, he said.
He gained his U.S. citizenship about two years ago, after a lengthy process that included a long drive from his home in Windsor, Canada, to the U.S. Consulate in Montreal.
"Driving through torrential rains (to Montreal), I was being tested. We got through it," Campbell said. "The interview was smooth as glass and I was welcomed in. It was only a few months later we packed our bags and we had no other choice — East Tennessee was the spot to be."
Elections officials said at least 280 people voted at the precinct at Maryville's municipal building by the time the polls closed. Around 200 people had voted when Campbell and his wife arrived around 5 p.m.
Campbell said the right to vote is something he's proud he's achieved after gaining citizenship.
"I think it's one of the most important parts of being American, is being able to participate in this process," Campbell said. "It's something a lot of people take for granted. You don't see a lot of people out here for primaries."
Aside from presidential candidates, voters in Blount County could choose which Republicans they wanted to run as candidates for Assessor of Property, and they could vote for Blount County School Board seats.
Democratic candidates ran unopposed in Blount County.
Campbell said it's taken time to be able to vote, but he's happy he went through the U.S. citizenship process. He also hopes everyone exercises their right to vote.
"If you don't cast your vote, I don't want to hear you complaining about anything government is doing," he said. "You have the opportunity to make a change. And if you don't seize it, well hush."
