Bradley County early voting this week
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Bradley County early voters have three choices when it comes to casting ballots for the May 1 election.
The Bradley County Election Commission Office has confirmed it will operate polling sites on the north and south sides of the county in addition to the office itself. Bradley Square Mall on Paul Huff Parkway and a mobile unit at Food City near APD 40 will become sites for voters to have their say. Early voting begins April 11.
Republican primary voters will decide all the countywide seats on the ballot and all but one county commission seat.
When choosing commissioners, voters will go about things a little differently this election cycle.
In the past, the two candidates who had received the most and second-most votes won the commission seats for each of the county’s seven districts.
Now candidates compete for a specific seat, labeled A or B. It allows candidates to target a specific incumbent instead of taking their chances in a districtwide pool.
Last month, election officials said the community has not really asked them about the new commissioner election process, but voters may have questions when they go to the polls.
“I imagine folks may have questions the day of the election,” Travis Henry, election commission chairman, said. “We want to make sure our officials can explain at the booths at that point.”
Last year, the Bradley County Commission narrowly approved changing the election method, a measure long championed by Commission Vice Chairman Jeff Yarber.
“You have to have an open mind about it,” Yarber said recently. “This way people will use both votes.”
The old way discouraged people from voting for two commission candidates because they did not want to risk hurting their top choice, he said, describing the practice as “single-shotting.”
Not every voter has cast two votes in past commission races, according to Bradley County’s 2014 primary election archives. The Hopewell precinct tallied 816 voters, but only counted 1,199 votes between four candidates. The Oak Grove precinct recorded 962 voters who generated 1,409 votes between four candidates.
Commissioner Howard Thompson has said he doesn’t like the change and believes it can hurt candidates.
“I never understood changing the way we’ve been doing things for the last 40 or 50 years,” he said. “It’s the way all the current commissioners got into office.”
Eight Bradley County Commission incumbents face no challengers, but five districts have at least one contested seat. Four incumbents face contenders for their seats and departing commissioners left two seats vacant.
Democrat Tammy Davis, the sole Democrat seeking a Bradley County seat, will face the winner of the Republican primary — Kevin Raper or Joshua Rogers—for District 7, Seat A in the Aug. 2 county general election.
Rick Bise and Dennis Epperson vie for District 1, Seat A.
Commissioner Charlotte Peak defends against challenger Alex Morrow for District 4, Seat A.
Commissioner Bobby Goins faces Jerry Cross in the race for District 5, Seat A.
District 6 incumbents Dan Rawls and Robert Rominger face opponents for their respective seats. Tim Mason challenges Rawls for Seat A, and Rominger faces Erica Davis and Tommy Ledford for Seat B.
As far as countywide races go, only the sheriff and circuit court clerk seat incumbents have opposition.
Sheriff Eric Watson faces Steve Lawson and Circuit Court Clerk Gayla Miller competes against Jeff Young.
Contact Paul Leach at paul. leach.press@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @pleach_3.