KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Election Day has arrived in Knox County. During this election, voters will decide who they want to see run for office in November. They will also decide who they want to serve on various seats of local government.
In District 4, the Republican contender for the Knox County Commission conceded at around 9 p.m. on Thursday — effectively flipping a seat on the county commission after the previous Republican incumbent announced he would not run. Shane Jackson, the Democratic concedes, is expected to take the seat.
At least 31,200 people cast a ballot during the early voting period of the Knox County general election. Around another 2,000 either cast absentee ballots or voted during nursing home visits. That number is marginally below the early voting numbers seen during the August 2022 midterm election — a continued downward trend compared to the more than 43,700 ballots cast in the 2018 election.
Around 303,000 are eligible to vote in the 2024 general election. Election administrators typically expect around the same number of voters to show up on Election Day as they do during the early voting period. So, a total of up to 65,000 voters are expected to cast ballots in Knox County's general election.
Races that attracted the most attention in Knox County include the District 4 Commission race and the District 5 races for Knox County Commission and the Knox County School Board. The District 2 Board of Education election also attracted attention, after its incumbent decided to run as an Independent candidate, contested by Democratic and Republican nominees.
Other contested races in Knox County include the law director and the assessor of property. All commission races are contested, and only District 8's Board of Education seat is unopposed. The Town of Farragut is also electing two Aldermen to serve as leaders during the August 2024 election.
Ahead of the election, WBIR reached out to all Knox County candidates and spoke with many of them. You can find videos of those conversations online.