(The Center Square) – Tennessee saw just 13.9% of registered voters cast ballots in the Aug. 1 primary, down from 24.5% in the 2020 primary and 14.1% in 2016.
The turnout is the lowest since before at least 1996, with the state averaging 17.9% turnout for the August primaries in a presidential election year, according to ThinkTennessee.
The primary included one U.S. Senate seat, all nine Tennessee U.S. House seats along with 99 state House seats and 16 state Senate seats, those in the even-numbered districts.
The Nov. 5 ballot, however, will include candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties facing off for 62.6% of Tennessee Legislature seats compared to just 37.9% being competitive races in 2022, ThinkTennessee wrote.
Only 19.6% of primary races were competitive in the state, with 63.2% of races featuring one candidate and 17.2% having no candidate.
The Nov. 5 election features favorite Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn against state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville. along with nine competitive U.S. House races.
Those in Nashville will also be voting on a referendum for a 0.5% sales tax increase to pay for transit improvements.
