Judge Patey among 3 removed from Madison County ballot

1 hour ago

Amelia Carlson,

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. – Three candidates have been removed from the Madison County ballot, including Judge Mark Patey.

Lori Lott, Administrator of Elections for Madison County, confirmed on Thursday that Judge Mark Patey was among three individuals removed from the ballot at the request of the Republican party.

According to Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Mark Golden, the three candidates must meet requirements to qualify as a “bona fide” Republican in order to run for office as a Republican. Golden said the three candidates that were removed did not meet one of those standards.

According to the Tennessee Republican Party bylaws, a “bona fide Republican” is defined as an individual who a) is actively involved in the Tennessee Republican Party, the county Republican Party of the county in which the individual resides, or a TRP-recognized auxiliary organization, b) is registered to vote in the above-noted county; and c) who has voted in at least three (3) of the four (4) most recent statewide Republican primary elections in which he is eligible to vote.” – ARTICLE IX of the Bylaws and Rules of the Tennessee Republican Party

“At noon today, the candidates could either voluntarily remove themselves from the ballot or the party could remove them from the ballot,” Golden said.

Golden said he removed the three candidates from the ballot, but that the removal is not permanent at this time. He said the candidate has a week to meet the standards of the party in order to be placed back on the ballot.

“There is a filing date, removal date, and restoration date, is what I like to call it,” Golden said.

If the candidate does not meet the requirements and is not granted a waiver by the party then the candidate will not be placed back on the ballot.

Patey announced on December 16 that he was running for Madison County General Sessions Judge for Division 1. He was recently appointed by the Madison County Commission on May 19, 2025 as judge.