KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — UPDATE (Oct. 2, 2020): The Knox County Election Commission voted Friday morning to deny the University of Tennessee's request to move its campus early voting location to Thompson-Boling Arena from the Baker Center.
The vote failed 2-3, with commission chair Christopher Heagerty, Bob Bowman, and Hannah Hopper voting no. Secretary Cameron Brooks and Tammy Kaousias voted in favor of the request.
UT Chancellor Donde Plowman encouraged the commission to vote in favor of the request, saying many people in the county do not know where the Baker Center is and that it is "an exceptional time" for voting -- saying the university wishes to make it easier for everyone to vote this election.
Election Administrator Chris Davis said he had questions about the last-minute change in terms of preparing the site of the arena. He said he was concerned about the amount of time left to make those preparations by the time early voting on campus begins later this month.
With the deciding nay vote, Heagerty said he was concerned about long walks from the garage to TBA, and some voters would be elderly. Plowman said there are two handicapped spots at the Baker Center, but conceded the walk from TBA is longer.
After voting no, Heagerty said logistics are key in having the election run smoothly, and that these early voting sites had been planned for months. He said his vote came after listening to Davis' concerns.
When the early voting cycle for the November 3, 2020 election begins on October 14, anyone in Knox County can cast an early ballot at one of the designated voting locations across the county at this link. The UT Baker Center location will be open only during the final four days of early voting from October 26 to 29.
Original Story:
The University of Tennessee is petitioning to move the early voting location on campus from the Howard Baker Center to Thompson-Boling Arena.
UT is asking the Knox County Election Commission to approve the request because it wants to encourage voting in the upcoming election by making it easier for everyone to access its campus polling location.
UT believes the arena is a better location because most people in town know where it is and it's also easier for people to find parking. The Howard Baker Center, located at 1640 Cumberland Avenue, has limited places for people to find parking.
The Knox County Election Commission will meet Friday, October 2 at 8:30 a.m. to consider the request.
When the early voting cycle for the November 3, 2020 election begins on October 14, people can cast an early ballot at any one of the designated voting locations across the county below. The UT campus location will be open only during the final four days of early voting from October 26 to 29.