Only 20 percent of registered voters in Carter County voted between early voting and Super Tuesday total.

“That’s sad,” said Tracy Tanner-Harris, Carter County Administrator of Elections.

Tanner-Harris said that the amount who turn out for voting in the presidential preference primary is usually low, but said this is lower than normal.

“It’s not usually a big turnout for the presidential preference primary,” she said, “but this one was lower than normal.”

Tanner-Harris said that those who came out back in 2016 for the presidential preference primary was 39 percent.

In addition to voting for presidential preferences, voters also went local in voting for commissioners in districts three and eight as the previous commissioners had passed. Tanner-Harris said this was known as an expired term as the next voting will be in 2022.

Despite lower numbers, Tanner-Harris said that the day remained busy, with early arrivals and late leaving at the commission office. She said the day was filled with phone calls answering questions behind the scenes. Many voters were either confused as to where to go vote, or believed they could vote at the commission office. Voting takes place for all elections at the commission office during early voting. On the day of elections, voting takes place at different points throughout the county.

Although numbers were lower for this voting cycle, Tanner-Harris noted that the number of those participating will increase in upcoming elections in August and November.

“Early voting for the last November elections, we had over 11,000. It was crazy. People were lined up all the way up to the health department,” she said.

The deadline to register to vote for August is July 7, and the deadline to have petitions in for anyone running for local office in August will be April 2.

Tanner-Harris also stressed the importance of the March 3 election.

“It’s important to vote because people are picking who they want to represent them. They’re choosing who they want to go onto the November ballet as their president,” she said.

For more information on voting in Carter County you can go to http://www.cartercountytn.gov/government/departments-services/election-office. In addition to important dates, the website also provides information on voter registration, which can now be done online.