GOP early voting lags behind 2018, while Nashville surge boosts Democrats’ totals
(Graphic credit: Don Johnson)
Republican turnout has been down 10% compared with the first 13 days of early voting in 2018, while Democratic turnout has been up 3%. Overall turnout has been down 7%.
(This post has been updated to reflect turnout figures for the first 13 of 14 days of early voting.)
Early voting for the Aug. 6 primary runs through Saturday.
The nominations for the open U.S. Senate race in 2018 were settled by the time the primary rolled around, but that year featured a rough-and-tumble primary for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. This year’s campaign season has been dominated by a bitter GOP contest for yet another U.S. Senate vacancy between former Ambassador Bill Hagerty and Vanderbilt surgeon Manny Sethi.
Despite the comparative lag, Republicans have still turned out in far higher numbers than Democrats across the state, 330,580 to 194,368.
The biggest increase in GOP early voting has been a 64% jump in Washington County, which is in the heart of the 16-way 1st District primary to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Phil Roe (R-Johnson City). It’s also home to heated primary challenges of state Reps. Matthew Hill and Micah Van Huss (both R-Jonesborough). GOP voting has been down in 72 of 95 counties.
The biggest increase in early voting among Democrats has occurred in Nashville, where turnout has been 61% higher than it was through the same period two years ago. This year’s primary features Keeda Haynes’ insurgent campaign against longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Nashville) and a spirited contest for the Democratic nomination to challenge state Sen. Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville).
See your county’s turnout compared with the first 13 of 14 days of early voting in 2018 below.
| County | GOP | change | Dem | change | Total | change |
| Anderson | 4,380 | -12% | 2,236 | -2% | 6,653 | -10% |
| Bedford | 2,210 | -33% | 602 | -44% | 2,829 | -38% |
| Benton | 1,517 | -8% | 477 | -49% | 2,037 | -24% |
| Bledsoe | 418 | -26% | 114 | -46% | 537 | -34% |
| Blount | 7,735 | 3% | 2,532 | 13% | 10,270 | 5% |
| Bradley | 6,710 | -10% | 1,132 | -3% | 7,921 | -8% |
| Campbell | 1,468 | -56% | 298 | -65% | 1,800 | -63% |
| Cannon | 596 | -46% | 137 | -63% | 744 | -55% |
| Carroll | 1,804 | -13% | 458 | -35% | 2,271 | -22% |
| Carter | 3,725 | -9% | 377 | -11% | 4,113 | -10% |
| Cheatham | 2,354 | 4% | 1,117 | 11% | 3,491 | 4% |
| Chester | 1,581 | 11% | 294 | 1% | 2,040 | 8% |
| Claiborne | 2,511 | -17% | 526 | -32% | 3,337 | -25% |
| Clay | 375 | -47% | 107 | -72% | 494 | -60% |
| Cocke | 2,491 | -29% | 253 | -25% | 2,756 | -29% |
| Coffee | 3,898 | -2% | 1,178 | -31% | 5,165 | -10% |
| Crockett | 896 | 1% | 200 | -51% | 1,163 | -14% |
| Cumberland | 5,138 | 2% | 1,133 | 5% | 6,340 | 3% |
| Davidson | 18,481 | -2% | 49,598 | 61% | 68,650 | 38% |
| Decatur | 868 | -26% | 204 | -55% | 1,105 | -45% |
| DeKalb | 903 | -23% | 415 | -32% | 1,366 | -32% |
| Dickson | 2,077 | -17% | 1,101 | -16% | 3,239 | -16% |
| Dyer | 1,634 | -38% | 431 | -26% | 2,088 | -37% |
| Fayette | 2,438 | -21% | 858 | -6% | 3,330 | -20% |
| Fentress | 1,432 | -42% | 252 | -56% | 1,747 | -54% |
| Franklin | 2,492 | -6% | 763 | -37% | 3,291 | -16% |
| Gibson | 1,789 | -36% | 476 | -48% | 2,296 | -42% |
| Giles | 1,953 | -22% | 674 | -26% | 2,768 | -24% |
| Grainger | 1,319 | 9% | 184 | 10% | 1,517 | 9% |
| Greene | 3,690 | -21% | 591 | -23% | 4,330 | -23% |
| Grundy | 853 | 37% | 259 | -40% | 1,175 | 5% |
| Hamblen | 2,748 | -12% | 472 | 3% | 3,238 | -10% |
| Hamilton | 13,107 | 20% | 10,393 | 28% | 24,069 | 26% |
| Hancock | 311 | -28% | 33 | -31% | 355 | -33% |
| Hardeman | 1,147 | -11% | 967 | -28% | 2,128 | -26% |
| Hardin | 2,083 | -14% | 321 | -38% | 2,465 | -24% |
| Hawkins | 3,507 | 4% | 351 | -36% | 3,885 | -1% |
| Haywood | 546 | -48% | 676 | -48% | 1,239 | -49% |
| Henderson | 2,217 | -16% | 208 | -31% | 2,432 | -18% |
| Henry | 2,178 | -24% | 718 | -6% | 2,953 | -19% |
| Hickman | 1,058 | -36% | 329 | -60% | 1,397 | -48% |
| Houston | 581 | -34% | 202 | -65% | 797 | -49% |
| Humphreys | 1,191 | 1% | 507 | -42% | 1,722 | -20% |
| Jackson | 736 | 4% | 326 | -28% | 1,236 | -13% |
| Jefferson | 3,266 | -8% | 483 | -18% | 3,782 | -9% |
| Johnson | 1,818 | -23% | 155 | -52% | 1,979 | -33% |
| Knox | 26,404 | -8% | 14,997 | 28% | 41,772 | 3% |
| Lake | 410 | -32% | 140 | -43% | 604 | -44% |
| Lauderdale | 1,016 | -2% | 701 | -31% | 1,811 | -13% |
| Lawrence | 1,786 | -28% | 473 | -43% | 2,334 | -32% |
| Lewis | 1,201 | -9% | 183 | -45% | 1,486 | -25% |
| Lincoln | 2,062 | 23% | 527 | 16% | 2,701 | 19% |
| Loudon | 6,101 | -6% | 1,390 | 43% | 7,548 | 1% |
| Macon | 1,214 | -64% | 159 | -69% | 1,393 | -70% |
| Madison | 4,038 | -25% | 2,954 | -10% | 7,114 | -19% |
| Marion | 1,484 | 30% | 737 | 7% | 2,254 | 21% |
| Marshall | 2,475 | -3% | 594 | -31% | 3,078 | -11% |
| Maury | 4,864 | -26% | 1,778 | -24% | 6,735 | -29% |
| McMinn | 2,751 | -18% | 616 | 12% | 3,397 | -14% |
| McNairy | 1,823 | 4% | 270 | -51% | 2,111 | -21% |
| Meigs | 750 | -22% | 188 | -53% | 944 | -33% |
| Monroe | 3,269 | -18% | 714 | -36% | 4,139 | -23% |
| Montgomery | 7,272 | 27% | 3,777 | -1% | 11,258 | 17% |
| Moore | 748 | -22% | 158 | -48% | 941 | -28% |
| Morgan | 932 | -45% | 197 | -62% | 1,155 | -53% |
| Obion | 1,901 | -33% | 283 | -62% | 2,192 | -45% |
| Overton | 974 | -26% | 377 | -64% | 1,368 | -45% |
| Perry | 767 | -18% | 131 | -35% | 917 | -26% |
| Pickett | 446 | -8% | 129 | -41% | 619 | -24% |
| Polk | 1,235 | 34% | 453 | -24% | 1,858 | 10% |
| Putnam | 4,451 | -2% | 1,221 | -30% | 5,704 | -11% |
| Rhea | 1,923 | -31% | 366 | -45% | 2,326 | -36% |
| Roane | 4,488 | -4% | 1,388 | -12% | 6,023 | -7% |
| Robertson | 3,425 | -21% | 1,126 | -34% | 4,595 | -25% |
| Rutherford | 14,249 | 6% | 8,556 | 17% | 23,011 | 10% |
| Scott | 930 | -62% | 121 | -75% | 1,081 | -74% |
| Sequatchie | 863 | -51% | 153 | -68% | 1,035 | -60% |
| Sevier | 4,875 | 12% | 872 | 36% | 5,774 | 15% |
| Shelby | 22,685 | -22% | 43,553 | -4% | 66,753 | -11% |
| Smith | 1,700 | -20% | 532 | -31% | 2,276 | -22% |
| Stewart | 1,068 | -34% | 267 | -65% | 1,343 | -47% |
| Sullivan | 10,820 | 14% | 1,407 | -16% | 12,296 | 9% |
| Sumner | 6,488 | -14% | 2,729 | 8% | 9,303 | -8% |
| Tipton | 3,722 | 4% | 773 | -23% | 4,511 | -3% |
| Trousdale | 696 | -13% | 277 | -37% | 1,216 | -17% |
| Unicoi | 1,835 | 23% | 198 | 2% | 2,035 | 20% |
| Union | 624 | -44% | 190 | -32% | 846 | -47% |
| Van Buren | 273 | -26% | 76 | -71% | 349 | -50% |
| Warren | 2,057 | -35% | 873 | -56% | 2,975 | -46% |
| Washington | 10,795 | 64% | 1,543 | 27% | 12,415 | 58% |
| Wayne | 1,204 | -28% | 123 | -54% | 1,348 | -40% |
| Weakley | 2,473 | -3% | 454 | -46% | 2,943 | -18% |
| White | 1,934 | -16% | 360 | -49% | 2,308 | -26% |
| Williamson | 14,539 | 8% | 6,307 | 17% | 21,131 | 12% |
| Wilson | 10,310 | -19% | 3,859 | -14% | 14,380 | -18% |
| TOTAL | 330,580 | -10% | 194,368 | 3% | 532,246 | -7% |
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