EDITOR’S NOTE:

CORRECTION:

In the Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, edition of the Elizabethton Star a story was published under the headline Candidates for municipal, state elections can now pick up paperwork. That story contained information regarding the candidate qualification paperwork and deadlines for state, federal and local municipal elections. The information on the deadline was obtained from a list of important dates issued by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Division of Elections. That list from the state showed that residents seeking election in local municipal elections could begin picking up their candidate paperwork on January 5 and had to turn it back in by Noon on April 5.

On Tuesday, the Elizabethton Star was contacted by the Carter County Election Commission and informed the list provided by the Division of Elections contained incorrect information. The Division of Elections issued a corrected list on Tuesday morning and the Carter County Election Commission provided the Elizabethton Star with the corrected information. Candidates seeking to run in the local municipal elections can begin picking up their paperwork on May 18 and must return their completed candidate petitions to the Election Commission office by Noon on August 16 to qualify for the election.

While the error was not the fault of the Elizabethton Star, we regret any confusion which was caused by the reporting of the incorrect information.

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As the qualification deadline for the county’s primary elections draws nearer, the candidate qualification process is just getting underway for some local, state, and federal races.

In August, when Carter County voters head to the polls for the county’s General Election they will also be casting ballots in a number of state and federal races. Also appearing on the August ballot will be four seats on the Carter County Board of Education, which does not run in a party system and therefore does not go through a primary election process.

Following the August election, the state and federal General Election will be held in November. Also appearing on the November ballot will be several municipal races for the cities of Elizabethton, Watauga, and Johnson City.

Candidates wishing to run for the Carter County Board of Education, Tennessee Governor, Tennessee House of Representatives, Tennessee Senate (odd-numbered districts only), U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives in August can now pick up their qualification petitions. Those seeking to run for Elizabethton Board of Education, Elizabethton City Council, Watauga City Commission, Johnson City Board of Education, and Johnson City Board of Commissioners on the November ballot can also pick up their candidate paperwork now. These municipal seats are not elected through a party affiliation, so they do not go through the party primary process.

In order to qualify for their chosen elections in either August or November, potential candidates have until noon on April 5 to return their petitions with the required 25 signatures. Candidates for those elections were eligible to begin picking up their petitions on Jan. 5.

The following seats will be up for election on the Carter County Board of Education on August 2:

• 2nd District (currently held by LaDonna Stout Boone)

• 3rd District (currently held by David Buck)

• 5th District (currently held by Tony Garland)

• 7th District (currently held by Steve Hyder)

The following state and federal positions will go through a primary election on August 2. The winners of the primaries in these races will go on to the General Election in November.

• Tennessee Governor (currently held by Gov. Bill Haslam)

• Tennessee House of Representatives District (currently held by Rep. Timothy Hill)

• Tennessee House of Representatives District 4 (currently held by Rep. John Holsclaw)

• Tennessee Senate District 3 (currently held by Sen. Rusty Crowe)

• United States Senate – 1 seat (currently held by Sen. Bob Corker)

The following seats will be up for election in the municipal elections for the Cities of Elizabethton, Watauga, and Johnson City in November:

• City of Elizabethton Board of Education – 2 seats (currently held by J. Tyler Fleming and Susan Peters)

• City of Elizabethton City Council – 4 seats (currently held by William Carter, Wesley Frazier, Sam Shipley, and Richard Tester

• City of Watauga City Commission – 2 seats (currently held by Mickey Fair and Delisa Lafleur)

• City of Johnson City Board of Education – 4 seats (currently held by Thomas Hager Jr., Kathy Hall, John F. Hunter II, and Dr. Richard Manahan)

• City of Johnson City Board of Commissioners – 2 seats (currently held by Mayor David Tomita and Vice Mayor Jenny Brock)