Guest column: Anderson County election ballot explained

Submitted

The August 7 ballot for the state primary and local general election will be an important and complex ballot. You will find three main sections to the ballot.

First will be the state and federal primary, second will be the county general election, and third will be the retention questions for Tennessee Supreme Court judges and appellate court judges.

The first eight offices on the ballot are the contests for the state and federal primary election. They are governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee Senate, Tennessee House of Representatives, and state executive committeeman and committeewoman. These eight offices are the ones a person must declare whether they are voting in the Democratic or Republican primary.

After these eight offices come the candidates for the Anderson County general election. It does not matter which party primary you selected to vote in, Democrat or Republican, you are now free to vote for the candidate of your choice no matter to which party you belong. The county general election offices are:

• circuit and criminal court judge,
• chancellor,
• district attorney general,
• public defender,
• county mayor,
• the county commissioner for your district (you will vote for two),
• county trustee,
• general sessions judge (Division I),
• general sessions judge (Division II),
• juvenile court judge,
• sheriff,
• circuit court clerk,
• county clerk,
• register of deeds,
• road superintendent, school board for your district, and
• constables in districts one through four.

Next is the municipal election for the city of Oliver Springs (for Oliver Springs residents). You will vote for city judge/recorder and court clerk/finance officer.

The third and final section of the ballot is the judicial retention questions. There are three Tennessee Supreme Court judges; Court of Appeals judges for the Eastern, Middle, and Western divisions; and finally Court of Criminal Appeals judges for the Eastern, Middle, and Western divisions of Tennessee.

These individuals are a combination of both Democrats and Republicans but are not listed as such on the ballot. Some of the Democrats were appointed by Republicans, and some of the Republicans were appointed by Democrats. They are a bipartisan group who has served Tennessee well. You will have the option to either retain (keep) or replace (remove) each judge.

Remember, regardless of where you live—Norris, Oliver Springs, Clinton, Lake City, or Oak Ridge—as long as you reside within Anderson County, you vote in the county election. Please exercise your right and cast your vote. Your vote counts!