Election officials address confusion about primary voting rules
JACKSON, Tenn. — Early voting for the primaries is underway. The polls for early voting will be open until next Thursday, April 28.
Chairman Larry Lowrance with the Madison County Republican Party says there has been confusion on who can vote in the primaries. Lowrance says you are only allowed to vote in the party that you are affiliated with.
“Others have been asking people and encouraging people to vote in the Republican primary,” Lowrance said. “That is against the law if you are not a Republican. We are trying to inform the people of what the law is.”
He says primary elections are for the party to pick a top candidate to represent them in the general election.
“General election, everybody votes. You can vote for anybody you want to, any party you want to, it does not matter. In the primaries, it is the party that is selecting the nominees, it is not for the general public. It is for the party, where that party once again is Democratic or Republican,” said Lowrance.
Tennessee’s Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins sent a memorandum to county election commissions in the state stating the regulations by law for primaries. The letter cites Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-115, which reads in part:
(b) A registered voter is entitled to vote in a primary election for offices for which the voter is qualified to vote at the polling place where the voter is registered if:
(1) The voter is a bona fide member of and affiliated with the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote; or
(2) At the time the voter seeks to vote, the voter declares allegiance to the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote and states that the voter intends to affiliate with that party.
“If you are a bonafide member of a party, you have pledged your allegiance to that party,” said Lori Lott, Madison County Administrator of Elections. “You are supposed to vote in that party primary and not cross over. It is against the law to cross over.”
Lowrance says the basis for a primary election is to vote on who you want in a candidate that will represent that party in the general election.
“You need to select a person that represents your views,” Lowrance said. “The parties are how you do that, whether that is the Democrat party or the Republican party. We are just trying to inform people of what the law is and I believe when people understand and know that law, they will do what is right.”
The general election will be held in August for the general public, with Republican, Democrat and Independent candidates on the ballot.
The County Primary will be held on May 3, and the General Election will be held on August 4.
For more information on voting in Madison County, click here.
For more news in the Jackson and Madison County area, click here.
