Tennessee Voter Turnout Light So Far, Particularly In Nashville

Early voting runs through Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 4. Credit: Bobby Allyn / WPLN

Five days into early voting, 129,000 Tennesseans have cast a ballot. That’s roughly half the number who voted by this point two years ago, when a Presidential election was underway.

Turnout has been particularly light in Davidson County, where only 2,500 people have cast a ballot. More than twice that number have headed to the polls in surrounding counties of Williamson and Rutherford. Knox County and Knoxville lead the state, where a total of 13,200 people have turned out. For comparison, roughly 2,500 voters have been showing up to the polls there each day.

For those who are voting in Nashville, ballot measures are often the driver. Paul Woody wants supermarkets to be able to sell wine.

“I was motivated by the wine issue, to vote for it, because I think it’s ridiculous, the way it is now,” Woody said.

Also in Nashville, Donna Smith was more concerned about issues down ballot. “The amendments, all of them,” she said with a laugh.

 Amendment 1 – in particular – has been drawing voters. If passed, it would give the legislature more leeway to pass laws restricting abortions.

Bobby Allyn contributed to this report.