Primary Elections are Important but Critics Call for Change
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Primary Elections are Important but Critics Call for Change
By Shane Gilreath
SCN Contributing Editor
[email protected]
An open primary with a caveat. That’s often how Tennessee gets described in the world of politics. That voters don’t choose a political party upon registration keeps voters, candidates, and election officials on their toes. “It’s been challenging to help everyone understand the process,” Gabe Krahn, Scott County’s Administrator of Elections, told SCN last week.
Unlike most states, when Tennessee voters participate in a primary, they choose either a Republican or Democrat ballot, despite their personal affiliations, and can only vote in one party’s primary per election cycle. That political party choice will not consequently carry over into future elections. State law simply says that voters should be a “bona fide” member of the party they select, but there is no formal registration or enforcement. As a result, the system functions as largely an open primary, though debates across the state continue about potentially moving to a closed primary system and simplifying the state’s election process.
However, that has not been without its critics. Efforts to change Tennessee’s primary system have recently been led by Republican figures such as Stacey Campfield, the former state legislator perhaps best known for his “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and John Ragan, a current East Tennessee legislator who argues that the open primary undermines the election process by allowing members of one party to meddle in the primaries of the other. Their arguments have been joined by a broader GOP concern regarding similar issues with crossover voting and the cost of holding elections when there are a limited number of contested races. Critics of such change, including former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe and the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, who have largely opposed calls for tighter primary restrictions, arguing they would confuse voters or limit participation.
Tennessee primaries, however, already see low voter turnout, typically 30-40% lower than General Elections, where voters view a finality to their choices. Despite those numbers, Krahn wants voters to know that, even if they don’t participate in the May 5th primary, they can still vote in all other elections.
In the upcoming Scott County primary, there are no Democrats, a fact voters should be aware of when choosing how to vote in the upcoming primary. In fact, the only primary race which will be contested, according to Krahn, is that of Scott County Sheriff, in a race that will see incumbent Brian Keeton and his predecessor, Ronnie Phillips face off in the Republican primary.
Early voting for the primary begins on April 15th through April 30th at the Oneida Municipal Building and the Scott County Office Building. Any registered voter can participate. The last day to register to vote in order to be eligible to participate in that primary is Monday, April 6, 2026 – 30 days before Election Day. Tennessee requires that new registrations (whether online, by mail, or in person) be completed by that deadline to be processed in time for the primary.
