Turnout for Knoxville early voting is low, but there's still time to cast a ballot

Allie Feinberg, Knoxville News Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read

Oct. 26 marked the halfway point for early voting in the Knoxville election. Elections Administrator Chris Davis is disappointed with the turnout.

"Given that the mayor's race is not on the ballot, I am not surprised (at low turnout)," he told Knox News on Oct. 26. "We have great weather and six early voting spots open for 14 days. Voters have no excuse to not get out and cast a ballot."

As of Oct. 26, 2,501 early votes have been cast. That's a lackluster number, but it's still higher than previous elections that didn't have a mayor or state office race on the ballot. The early voting halfway points in 2015 and 2007 saw under 600 votes, and 2003 saw under 2,000.

City council and municipal judge races will be determined in this election.

LEARN ABOUT THE CANDIDATES: Read the Knox News Voter Guide for city council and judge candidates

Knoxville early voting times and locations

There's still plenty of time to vote before the rush of the Nov. 7 Election Day. Here are the places and times you can still vote early:

Early voting hours for Downtown West, Eternal Life Harvest Center, Knoxville Expo Center and New Harvest Park:

  • Oct. 27-31: Polls are open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and closed on Sunday.

  • Nov. 1-2: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Early voting hours for Meridian Baptist Church:

  • Oct. 27-31: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday

  • Nov. 1-2: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Early voting hours for the City-County Building:

  • Oct. 27: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

  • Oct. 28: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

  • Oct. 30-31: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

  • Nov. 1-2: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

How do I register for an absentee ballot in Knoxville?

The final day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 31.

Ballot requests can be emailed to absenteeballot@knoxcounty.org.

There are a lot of eligibility restrictions around who can request absentee voting by mail, but some qualifications include voters who are age 60 and older, will be outside the county on Election Day, are hospitalized, are attending school away from home, live in a nursing home, are away for military service and more. Find all the qualifications at sos.tn.gov.

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville election sees lackluster early voting turnout