KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Voters in Knoxville and the rest of Knox County can cast midterm ballots early at any of the county’s sites from now until Oct. 29, and anyone who waits must vote on Nov. 3 at their assigned precinct.
The early window opened Oct. 14 across Tennessee. In Knoxville, options include the Small Assembly Room of the City-County Building at 400 Main St. and the Knoxville Expo Center at 5441 Clinton Highway. Suburban voters can use the Farragut Community Center, the Karns Senior Center on Oak Ridge Highway or the Carter Senior Center on Asheville Highway, and Corryton residents have the Gibbs Ruritan Club on Tazewell Pike.
At the top of the ballot are races for Congress, governor and the state legislature. Below them sit three proposed changes to the Tennessee Constitution.
The first would let judges hold some defendants without bail before trial when the proof against them is strong. It covers only a short list of charges, such as second-degree murder, aggravated child rape and capital crimes.
The second would write a ban on any state property tax into the Constitution. Tennessee dropped that tax in 1949, and backers want to keep it from returning. The third rewrites the protections given to crime victims, modeled on the national Marsy’s Law campaign; some critics have raised questions about its possible cost.
Secretary of State Tre Hargett has urged voters to study the amendments before they arrive, warning that reading them for the first time at the booth could slow lines. Summaries and the full text are posted online and in a state mobile app.
