More than 134,000 turn out to vote in Hamilton County,

Concerns over low voter turnout in Hamilton County were put to rest in Tuesday’s general election.

The combination of two open statewide offices, massive campaign spending and the ongoing partisan debate helped Hamilton County shatter vote totals from the 2014 midterm elections and approach the presidential levels of 2016.

Long lines began to form across the county even before polls opened at 8 a.m. Election officials at Mountain Creek Church of Christ said a line wrapped around the building when doors opened. At Signal Mountain Presbyterian over 1,200 people had cast their ballots by noon.

“We have speculated on the potential precedent-setting turnout we witnessed throughout early voting,” said Hamilton County Election Commissioner Kerry Steelman. “With all precincts reporting, it is now a matter of fact that more than 134,000 Hamilton County voters participated in this midterm election, eclipsing all previous midterms elections.”

A total of 134,361 voters took part in Tuesday’s general election with 67,403 voting early and 66,958 voting on Election Day. In 2014’s midterms, 83,197 votes were counted in Hamilton County. And in the 2016 presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, 145,049 ballots were counted with 74,751 people voting early and 70,298 voting on Election Day.

The 2016 general election was the first time more people voted early in an election than on Election Day. The same thing happened Tuesday. The Tuesday vote totals exceeded 2014 by 51,164 and were 10,646 short of the 2016 total.

“What is most important is that people were very cordial today,” Steelman said. “Even with all the

angst and the ads, voters showed tremendous civility in the polling locations I visited, and that should make all of Hamilton County proud.”

Close to noon at the Eastdale Recreation Center, 70-year-old Vietnam veteran Thomas Patten stopped by to see Karl Dean and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke and was hoping to see Phil Bredesen, who ultimately lost to Marsha Blackburn in the Senate race.

Patten said he was encouraged to see young people engaging.

“So often they see the apathy,” he said. “They don’t teach civics anymore.”

The mayor’s youth council had thrown a “get out the vote” party at the rec center, a location that was chosen because of its regularly low voter turnout.

“I think there’s a push for young people to get involved,” said Genna Ringler, a senior at Baylor School. “This is such a simple thing, a party. But it shows that everything counts no matter how small.”

About seven miles away at Ridgedale Baptist Church, another veteran was casting his ballot Tuesday.

Ralph Painter, a World War II veteran, who turns 97 next Tuesday, started Election Day at 3 a.m. because he wanted to watch local weather reports about the storms that passed through the region overnight.

Painter cast his first presidential ballot in 1942 for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat. Painter has never voted for a Republican.

“My father said the worst mistake he ever made was voting for Herbert Hoover in 1928 instead of Al Smith,” he said. “He told us boys that you can never vote for a Republican unless it is your backdoor neighbor.”

Painter says his status as a straight-ticket Democratic voter places him in the strong minority at Ridgedale Baptist Church, which is the focal point of Painter’s schedule.

“I know Gov. Bredesen got at least four votes there,” Painter said.

“My father said the worst mistake he ever made was voting for Herbert Hoover in 1928 instead of Al Smith. He told us boys that you can never vote for a Republican unless it is your backdoor neighbor.”

— RALPH PAINTER, 97

Over at Collegedale City Hall at around 3:30 p.m., a steady stream of voters were casting their ballots.

Barry Brown, of Collegedale, said he sees voting as a civic duty. This time, he’s particularly concerned about keeping the economy zipping along, reducing taxes and fixing the federal deficit, and he thinks it’s going to take an across-the-board spending freeze for a few years to let revenues catch up.

Brown wasn’t alone in his concerns about the economy. Several voters cited that as the main force behind their vote, noting better economic growth since President Donald Trump took office.

Many other voters expressed their frustration over the divisive rhetoric in today’s political climate.

First-time voter and high school senior David Austin, 18, said that while he voted Republican, the hyperpartisan campaign rhetoric on both sides is a “nuisance” and believes everyone’s opinions deserve respect.

“Opinions really can’t be wrong, only facts can be wrong,” he said.

Back at Mountain Creek Church of Christ, Ralph Richardson cast his ballot at around 5:30 p.m. Like Austin, Richardson said he thinks the divisive rhetoric has gotten out of hand.

“I’m old enough to remember when there was civility in Congress,” he said. “They didn’t always agree, but they at least got along in public. They might have fought like cats and dogs behind closed doors. I hate this.”

He said he thinks the problem is that anyone who is willing to compromise and “cross the isle” is labeled a traitor.

“And that’s the problem … no one is willing to compromise,” he said.