2022 Robertson Co. Elections Headed For Historic Adjustments
ROBERTSON COUNTY: (Smokey Barn Information) – Except they modify their minds by November nineteenth, Robertson County Tennessee is ready to make the bounce to having primaries.
Assuming nothing modifications, that signifies that on Could 3, 2022, Robertson County could have its first County Major. Although it’s not unprecedented for a county to vary its thoughts on the final minute, we’re instructed that isn’t more likely to occur in Robertson County, in line with Administrator of Elections Cathy Hamsley.
Right here’s a rundown by native historian Invoice Jones.
Major Elections
What Are They and Why Do We Want them?
Will Jones
Most of us perceive Common Elections however what are the Major Elections for? A Major Election is held earlier than a Common Election which permits the political events to pick one particular person to unite behind in a Common Election. In Robertson County, we have now Open Primaries which permits voters to vote in both social gathering they need to however once we go to the polls in 2022, Major Election Day, we should declare which social gathering we need to vote in.
Transitioning to Major Elections limits voters to solely the candidates operating of their specific social gathering. Up to now, I’ve skilled voters getting upset when they’re requested which social gathering they wish to vote in. They’re complicated a Common Election with a Major Election. In a Common Election, one can vote for whoever is on the poll. However in Primaries one can solely vote for the candidates a selected social gathering is representing. That is referred to as a Closed Major as a result of every particular person has to declare which social gathering they need to vote in.
The Major system of voting is peculiar to america. Some states nonetheless have Caucuses which is a leftover from colonial instances. That’s one other story. One of many issues previously is “crossover voting.” That’s when these of rival events vote for the weaker candidate within the reverse social gathering major. This causes issues, principally when there may be low voter turnout.
Whoever desires to run in a celebration major should have voted at the very least three consecutive instances previously in that social gathering major. Voters can vote in any major in any yr however not like the Common Election, a report is stored of which social gathering you voted in.
There have at all times been those that get upset when they’re requested to declare which major social gathering they need to vote in. This time our Major will likely be held in Could of 2022. What’s totally different is, our native elections of native county elected officers IE: County Mayor, Clerks and Judges, and so forth., should now choose a celebration to run within the Major. Metropolis elections are non-partisan.
These days, we have now seen folks getting upset about new legal guidelines and laws they usually change into violent. I hope Robertson County residents will research our voting legal guidelines in order that they gained’t get upset on the polls.
COST: Holding a Major Election will price the county roughly $50,000. Smokey Barn Information confirmed that quantity with Robertson County Administrator of Elections Cathy Hamsley, although the whole will seemingly be somewhat north of that determine, Hamsley mentioned.
The 50k covers only one election. There needs to be employees from every social gathering situated at every polling place, voting machines set-up, promoting to be run, folks to be employed to depend the votes and course of the election. It’s not low cost to have an election and it’s getting costlier and extra difficult annually.
One of many drawbacks of getting a Major Election is that it’ll trigger candidates to have to decide on a celebration to be able to be within the Major. One other is that if it’s a small turnout, a gaggle of voters may vote reverse from what they usually vote for, say for a lesser candidate that they know would most probably lose within the Common Election towards their candidate which is a stronger candidate. Subsequently, eliminating the alternative social gathering’s sturdy candidate.
What meaning is that even when the Major Election could have a low turnout we must be cautious to vote so that somebody isn’t pushed into the Common Election as a result of not many voted within the Major.
Switching to native primaries is a development throughout the state of Tennessee, in line with Hamsley. The change creates a short-term window that an skilled politician may theoretically bounce by means of and seize a shock win, if voters fail to do their analysis. The query is, will candidates go along with their social gathering or gamble with circumvention and go unbiased. Bear in mind, Robertson County is basically Republican, placing an (R) subsequent to your identify might be a game-changer. That variable could push candidates right into a wait-and-see mode spiking last-minute entries throughout the board.
In accordance with everybody we spoke to, the important thing to a profitable election in 2022 will likely be public schooling.
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