February 17, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley in conjunction with WJLE has produced a short video with important information of which voters should be aware for the May 3 DeKalb County Democratic and Republican Primaries.
Stanley said the purpose of the video is to answer questions that voters may have to better prepare them for election day.
The following is a summary of the information shared by Stanley in the video:
What is a Primary Election?
• “A primary election is an election for each political party to select its candidates in each office to represent their party in the August County General Election,” said Administrator Stanley.
“In the May primaries, Democrats are running against Democrats and Republicans are running against Republicans. Independent candidates are never listed on a Primary ballot. The winners of the May primaries move on to the August General Election,” he said.
“It is the August General Election when Democrats face Republicans along with any properly qualified Independent candidate. It is August that the winner takes all and becomes the office holder. Also in August we have a Tennessee State Primary for state offices held on the same day and further information about those primaries will be provided later”.
• “In relation to the May Primary, we have been asked if a person can vote for one candidate in one party and another candidate in the other party. The answer is NO. Under state law, a voter cannot vote in two primaries which are held at the same time, such as is the case on May 3. As a result, a voter must decide which candidate, which office or which party is more important to them and then make a selection,” Stanley continued.
• “We have also been asked if a voter says he or she is an Independent, can they vote in May? The answer is YES. There is no such thing as party registration in Tennessee. You are simply a registered voter. However, keep in mind the May elections are Primary elections and there are NO Independent candidates on the May ballots. Again, the voter must choose only one primary,” said Administrator Stanley.
• “Another question is if a voter votes for a particular candidate or party in May do they have to vote for the same candidate or in the same state primary in August? The short answer is NO. August is a completely different election and how someone votes in May has no impact on the August election, either in the County General or Tennessee Primaries. It simply again becomes the voter’s choice,” said Stanley.
“When voting for county offices in August, a voter has the choice to vote for a candidate in either party or for an Independent candidate. August is a County General and voters may choose a party candidate in one office and in another office choose a candidate in the opposite party or vote for an Independent,” he said.
•Another question, is it recorded which primary a voter chooses? “Yes, we do not know who you voted for, but each voter’s party choice is recorded on their permanent record,” Stanley explained.
• If a voter does not vote in May can he or she still vote in August? “Yes, again in basic terms, one election has no relation to the other,” said Administrator Stanley.
• How can I find out which candidate is running in each primary? “Sample ballots are available on our website in advance of the election and are published in a local newspaper of general circulation. In addition, sample ballots will be available at every voting location and every voting precinct on election day. Also a sample ballot will be published on www.wjle.com. Voters are encouraged to study the ballot, see which candidates are running in which primary and make their choice. Again, voters can only choose one primary per election,” Stanley said.
“I also want to remind voters to update their address with the election office to avoid delays when they come to vote. During the petition process we noticed several voters signed a petition with an address that was not the same as in our database. In order to avoid delays or possibly a trip across town on election day, voters need to update their address as soon as possible. That can be done in person or online by logging onto www.dekalbelections.com or www.govoteTN.Gov,” said Stanley.
“I also want to remind voters of some precinct changes. Those who did vote at Edgar Evins State Park will now vote on election day at the Temperance Hall Community Center. Those who voted at the Dowelltown Community Center will vote now at the Liberty Community Center and those who were voting at the Belk Community Center will vote on election day at the Keltonburg Community Center,” Stanley continued.
Early voting will be held April 13 through April 28 and hours will be announced soon. Listen to WJLE or log onto www.wjle.com for more announcements.
“Remember, May elections are Primary elections and voters can only choose to vote in one of those primaries that day,” Stanley concluded.