Voters need to prepare for May 3 primary

Published 3:25 pm Friday, January 7, 2022

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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR STAFF
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com   
Voters have until April 4 to register for the May primary elections.
According to Carter County Administrator of Elections Tracy Tanner-Harris, voters must register or postmark registration materials by that date.
Wednesday, Feb. 2, is the first day that requests to vote by mail can be received. The deadline for submitting those mail-in ballots is April 26.
The following criteria has been set forth for those who wish to vote by mail:
  • You will be outside the county where you are registered during the early voting period and all day on Election Day.
  • You or your spouse are a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county where you are registered.
  • You are on the permanent absentee list (see question 4 below).
  • You reside in a nursing home, assisted living facility or home for the aged outside your county of residence.
  • You will be unable to vote in-person due to jury duty.
  • You are sixty (60) years of age or older.
  • You have a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place.
  • You are hospitalized, ill or physically disabled and unable to appear at your polling place to vote.
  • You are the caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled.
  • You are a candidate for office in the election.
  • You serve as an Election Day official or as a member or employee of the election commission.
  • You are observing a religious holiday that prevents you from voting in person during the early voting period and on Election Day.
  • You or your spouse possess a valid commercial drivers license (CDL) or Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card and you will be working outside the state or county of registration during the open hours of early voting and Election Day and have no specific out-of-county or out-of-state address to which mail may be sent or received during such time.
  • You are a member of the military or are an overseas citizen.
  • You are hospitalized, ill or physically disabled and unable to appear at your polling place to vote (this includes persons who have underlying medical or health conditions which in their determination render them more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 or at greater risk should they contract it). For a list of underlying health conditions that makes a person more susceptible, see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html. A physician’s statement is not required to check this box.
  • You are the caretaker of a hospitalized, ill or physically disabled person (this includes voters who care for or reside with persons who have underlying medical or health conditions which in their determination render them more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 or at greater risk should they contract it). For a list of underlying health conditions that makes a person more susceptible, see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html. A physician’s statement is not required to check this box.
Early voting will take place April 13-28. The hours for early voting have not yet been set according to Tanner-Harris.
Also, candidates running as independents in the Aug. 4 General Election have the same qualifying deadline as the primary candidates, which is noon Feb. 17.
Qualifying candidates as of Friday are:
Carter County Mayor
Patty Woodby (R) – incumbent
Michael Wayne Ensor (R)
Danny Ward (R)
Devon Buck (I)
Leon Humphrey, Jr. (I)
Trustee
Aaron Greer (R)
Jeffrey Guinn (R)
Travis Hill (R)
Chad Lewis (R)
Andrew Wetzel (R)
**Randal Lewis – the incumbent is retiring
Sheriff
Dexter Lunceford (R) – incumbent
Kimmie Birchfield (R)
William “Mike” Fraley (R)
Capt. Thomas Smith (R)
Rocky Croy (I)
County Clerk
Mary Gouge (R) – incumbent
Randall Jenkins (R)
Circuit Court Clerk
Johnny Blankenship (R) – incumbent
Register of Deeds
Jarrod Ellis (R) – incumbent
Superintendent of Roads
Roger Colbaugh (R) – incumbent
School Board
Christopher Hitechew (R) – incumbent Dist. 2
Garry Oaks (R) – District 2
Phillip Garland (R) – incumbent Dist. 5
Creola Miller (R) – incumbent Dist. 7
Commissioners
District 1
Robert Acuff (R) – incumbent
Mark Blevins (R) – incumbent
Willie Campbell (R) – incumbent
District 2
Nancy Brown (R) – incumbent
Julie Guinn (R) – incumbent
District 3
Bradley Johnson (R) – incumbent
Charles Von Cannon (I) – incumbent
District 4
Isaiah Grindstaff (R) – incumbent
Austin Jaynes (R) – incumbent
Danny Deal (R)
Paul Evans (R)
Gary Kemp (R)
Angela Odom (R)
District 5
Ginger Holdren (R) – incumbent
District 6
Gary Bailey (R) – incumbent
Donnie Cable (R)
Travis Lunceford (R)
Richard Smith (R)
District 8
Kelly Collins (I) – incumbent
Public Defender – 1st Judicial District
Jeff Kelly (R) – incumbent
General Sessions Judge
Charles Bowers (R) – incumbent
Criminal Court Judge – 1st Judicial District
Stacy Street (R) – incumbent
Lisa Rice (R) – incumbent
Constables
District 1
Benny Montgomery (R)
Chad Odum (R)
Gary Perry (R)
Ronald Reed (I)
District 2
Christopher Grindstaff (R)
District 3
Jerry Miller
District 4
Nicole Pate (R)
Harvey Shaffer (R)
James Winchester (R)
District 5
Mark Carrier (R)
District 6
James Bowers (R)
Brian Keener (R)
Bobby Trivette (R)
District 7
Dustin Baker (R)
Wayne Guinn (R)
Kenneth Potter (R)
District 8
Robert Carroll (R)

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