MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) - Rutherford County election officials are seeing more interest in the local primary, though overall turnout remains a small fraction of the population. Just over 13-thousand people cast ballots during the early voting period. That is up from the 9,717 residents who voted early in the 2022 primary.
Election Administrator Alan Farley says he is concerned about the low engagement for local leadership races. Farley stated, "I am disappointed that citizens do not turnout for local elections where our local officials are determined. Local elections have far greater impact on our day to day lives." He noted that the races for County Mayor and Sheriff seemed to drive the increased interest this year.
The data shows a heavy Republican lean during the early window, with 11,105 GOP ballots cast compared to 2,200 Democratic ballots. Sports*Com in Murfreesboro was the busiest site in the county, followed by the Election Office and Lane Agri-Park.
Looking toward Tuesday's election day, Farley added, "In 2022, we only voted 10.26% of our registered voters early and election day. We have increased our early numbers this time. I hope that is a good sign for Tuesday."
Polls open for the final time this coming Tuesday, May 5th. Residents can cast their ballot at any of the 30 designated Vote Centers between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. State law requires all voters to present a Tennessee state or federal photo ID at the polling place.
After the polls close, turn to WGNS and Big G TV for the results. Bryan Barrett will have the numbers as they're released and plans to talk to candidates from the various races. Coverage can be heard on WGNS Radio, FM 101.9 and AM 1450 Murfreesboro, FM 100.5 Smyrna and WGNSRadio.com. You can also watch the coverage on our various Big G TV channels on YouTube, Facebook and more.
Breakdown of turnout by location
Sports Com- 3082
Election Office- 2145
Lane Agri Park- 1874
World Outreach- 1851
MTAR- 1197
Smyrna Town Hall - 801
Smyrna Christ Life-724
Vine Street Annex- 651
LaVergne- 540
Nursing Homes-259
Absentee- 181
Top 5 Commission Districts for turnout
District 15-1209
District 8- 1055
District 14-1018
District 2-965
District 4- 893
