Guide to the Aug. 4 election in Davidson County

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Don’t forget Election Day on Thursday, Aug. 3. | Photo by NASHtoday

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Early voting for the Thurs., Aug. 4 election begins tomorrow. To make this election as easy as possible (heads up, it’s the longest ballot in Metro history), we’ve curated need-to-know information about how and where to vote + candidates running opposed.

🗳 Important dates

  • Early voting begins at the Howard Office Building | Fri., July 15
  • All early voting locations open | Wed., July 20
  • Election Day | Thurs., Aug. 4
  • Absentee ballot request deadline | Thurs., July 28 | Request here

🗳️ Registration + finding your polling location

First things first, make sure you’re eligible + registered to vote. Davidson County polling places will be open on Thurs., Aug. 4 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Find your polling place with this voter information tool. Early voting will be available at these 11 locations. Voting absentee? Here’s how to track the date your ballot was issued and received.

🗳 What’s on the ballot

  • Davidson County general election
  • State and federal primary election
  • Four Metro charter amendments
  • Oak Hill election

The following positions have at least two people running for office. Those running unopposed in the election are not listed. Want to know exactly who your choices are for the election? Head here to see a sample ballot, which includes all of the candidates who will be listed on the ballot of your choice.

  • Governor
  • US House of Representatives District 5
  • US House of Representatives District 6
  • Tennessee Senate District 19
  • Tennessee House of Representatives District 52
  • Tennessee House of Representatives District 59
  • State Executive Committeewoman District 17 + 20
  • State Executive Committeeman District 21
  • General Sessions Judge Division IX
  • School Board Districts 2, 4, 6, 8
  • Oak Hill City Commissioner
  • Judicial retention

🗳 Who’s running opposed?

Governor
Carnita Atwater (D), Jason Martin (D), JB Smiley Jr. (D)

US House of Representatives District 5
Geni Batchelor (R), Jeff Beierlein (R), Natisha Brooks (R), Beth Harwell (R), Timothy Lee (R), Andy Ogles (R), Stewart T. Parks (R), Kurt Winstead (R), Tres Wittum (R)

US House of Representatives District 6
Randal Cooper (D), Clay Faircloth (D)

Tennessee Senate District 19
Barry Barlow (D), Jerry Maynard (D), Charlane Oliver (D), Rossi Turner (D), Ludye N. Wallace (D)

Tennessee House of Representatives District 52
Justin Jones (D), Delishia Porterfield (D)

Tennessee House of Representatives District 59
Michelle Foreman (R), Wyatt Rampy (R)

State Executive Committeewoman District 17
Helene Cash (R), Terri Nicholson (R)

State Executive Committeewoman District 20
Lulu Elam (R), Karen Moore (R)

State Executive Committeeman District 21
Larry “Chuck” Grimes (R), John D. Richardson (R), Mikey Pastrana (D), John Summers (D)

General Sessions Judge Division IX
Brian A. Horowitz (R), Lynda F. Jones (D)

School Board District 2
Todd Pembroke (R), Rachael Anne Elrod (D), Edward Arnold (I)

School Board District 4
Kelli Phillips (R), Berthena Nabaa-McKinney (D)

School Board District 6
Cheryl D. Mayes (R), Fran Bush (I)

School Board District 8
Erin O’Hara Block (D), Amy Pate (I)

Oak Hill City Commissioner
Michael Bono, Dale Grimes, Joy O’Dell, Scott T. Price

🗳 Amendments

All ballots will include four amendments to the Metro Charter, which will be voted for or against.

  • Amendment 1 would modify the process for amending the Metro charter by a resolution of the Metro Council or a petition of registered voters. The amendment clarifies that petitions to the Metro charter certified by the Charter Revision Commission would require signatures from 10% of registered voters
    within ninety days after the certification in order to be placed on a ballot.

  • Amendment 2 would require that MNPD officers meet physical qualifications set by the Civil Service Commission instead of requirements for admission to the United States Army or Navy.
  • Amendment 3 would increase the number of Metro Health Board members to seven, up from six. Additionally, it would remove the requirement for the Metro Public Health director to be a doctor. In this case, the director would appoint a medical doctor to serve as the chief medical officer.
  • Amendment 4 would make the Nashville Department of Transportation an official Metro department. The department, which launched one year ago, currently operates under the department of Public Works in the Metro charter.

See a full breakdown of what these proposed changes would mean for Davidson County residents.
** We tried our best to include links to the candidate’s election website or election Facebook/Instagram account. If those were unavailable, we tried to find a link including the most information. If you know of a better link that represents any of the above candidates, please let us know.