NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Voting records were broken in Tennessee on Tuesday, with three days left of early voting, including Tuesday.
Officials said that 1,808,546 voters cast a ballot for the presidential election. Turnout has surpassed the previous record set during the 2016 presidential election when 1,689,989 people voted early or absentee in Tennessee, officials said. The finals day of early voting is on Thursday, Oct. 29.
"This election, Tennesseans are engaged and are taking advantage of the convenience of early voting," said Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett. "In the final days of early voting as well as on Election Day, Tennesseans can cast their votes in a clean, safe, and secure environment."
Voters are encouraged to wear a face mask and practice social distancing while casting their ballots.
Officials have also put new safety guidelines in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including poll workers wearing PPE and social distancing requirements.
Locations and hours
In Knox County, early voting locations are open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oct. 14-24. On Saturdays, they are open between 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., except for the City-County Building, Meridian Baptist and the Karns Senior Center.
Then all locations will be open between 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Oct. 26 - Oct. 29, except for the three listed above. All early voting locations in Knox County are listed below:
- Downtown West, 1645 Downtown West Blvd., Unit 40
- Halls Recreation Center, 6933 Recreation Lane
- Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Dr.
- Carter Senior Center, 9040 Asheville Hwy.
- Love Kitchen, 2418 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.
- City-County Building, Small Assembly Room, 400 Main Street
- New Harvest Park, 4775 New Harvest Lane
- Knoxville Expo Center, 5441 Clinton Highway
- Meridian Baptist Church, 6513 Chapman Highway
- Karns Senior Center, 8042 Oak Ridge Highway
- Baker Center (UT Campus), 1640 Cumberland Avenue
Elections officials said they expect early turnout will exceed in-person voting on Election Day, which is Nov. 3. That trend has been growing the past several election cycles.
Voters can use a sample ballot on the Knox County Election Commission's website to prepare to cast their ballots before heading to the polls.