By: Kathy Vest,
Administrator of Elections
There is something new happening in Chester County this year. There is going to be a Republican Primary! Because this is not the way things have been done in the past, it has created a little confusion and a lot questions for the voters of Chester County. As I sat on my couch last weekend watching the playoffs, I realized that our upcoming elections are a lot like the Super Bowl. I know that might sound strange but just stick with me on this.
To start with, the NFL is made up of two divisions: AFC and NFC. Our election process is made up primarily of two political parties: Democratic party and Republican party. Each of these groups has the opportunity to determine how they will choose who represents their party in the General Election which will occur in August.
The Democrats chose to nominate their party representatives by caucus. That means, there will not be any Democratic candidates on the May Primary ballot. If you consider yourself to be a Democrat, there is no need to go to the polls because your “team” has already chosen who will represent them on the August ballot.
The Republicans chose to have a Primary election to determine who will represent their party in the August election. Think of this as the playoffs. If you consider yourself to be a Republican, you need to go vote in the May election. The top vote getters in the May Primary will advance to the General Election in August representing the Republican party.
The August General election will include the Democratic candidates that were nominated by caucus, the Republican candidates that won the Primary Election, and the Independent candidates that are the “wild cards” in our football analogy.
Another thing that has been widely discussed around the county is the possibility of poll watchers. The law does allow for any candidate or party to have people anywhere voting is taking place to simply watch what is happening. These people are not part of the election team. Under Tennessee law, they are able to challenge a voter if they believe that person is not who they say they are, is not registered to vote, is not voting in the appropriate precinct, has already voted, or is not eligible to vote for any other reason. A challenge by a poll watcher does not mean that the voter will not be able to vote. It is simply a “flag on the field”. It creates a pause, or time-out, in which the refs (in this case, judges that are part of the election team) review the situation and make a ruling.
This is already shaping up to be an exciting year for elections. Please do not let uncertainty keep you out of the action. If you have a question or concern about what is going on or if there is something you are not sure about, just give me a call at (731) 989-4039 or stop by the Election Office. Together, we will all make it to the endzone!
