What You Need to Know for the March 5, 2024 Election
Lebanon, TN –Wilson County voters will have three opportunities to express their opinions at the polls in 2024. There are three scheduled elections for the year beginning with the March 5th Republican and Democratic Presidential Preference Primary and the Wilson County Republican and Democratic Primary.
The Republican and Democratic Presidential Preference Primary will be to choose candidates and/or party delegates to their respective conventions. The two Parties have their own rules about how someone becomes a presidential delegate or candidate. The Republican presidential delegates are decided by election and the Democratic presidential delegates are decided by party rules.
The Wilson County Republican and Democratic Primary will choose the political party candidates for Wilson County Property Assessor and County School Board members for Zones 1,3,5,and 7. The winners of these primary elections will appear on the Wilson County General Election ballot as the nominees for their respective political Party along with Independent candidates on August 6th, 2020.
The March 5th, 2024 Primary Elections are nominating elections. Voters participating in a Primary Election consider themselves Republicans or Democrats- there are no Primary Elections for Independents. Tennessee is an Open Primary state and voters do not register as members of a political party. Tennessee has two recognized parties – the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. In order to vote in the primary, voters are required to choose which party primary they wish to vote in. Of course, voters may vote in only one primary election.
Tennessee law says that, “A registered voter is entitled to vote in a primary election for offices for which the voter is qualified to vote at the polling place where the voter is registered if: The voter is a bona fide member of and affiliated with the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote; or, At the time the voter seeks to vote, the voter declares allegiance to the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote and states that the voter intends to affiliate with that party.”
The last day to register to vote in the March 5th elections is February 5th , 2024. Registering to vote is easy and secure using the Online Voter Registration link at www.WilsonTNVotes.gov.
Tammy Smith, Administrator of Elections says, “Whether taking advantage of Early Voting or voting on Election Day, to participate in the elections you must be registered to vote in Wilson County. New residents of Wilson County can register to vote when they update their Tennessee Driver’s License, by downloading the form from our website, coming to our office at 230 East gay St in Lebanon, or, the fastest and most secure way is, by registering online. We want to remind voters that have moved within the county since the last election to be sure and update their address and avoid any delay when they come to vote.”
Early Voting will be February 14th through February 27th at the Election Commission office at 230 East Gay St Lebanon, the Mt Juliet Community Center at 1075 Charlie Daniels Pkwy- Mt Juliet, the Gladeville Community Center at 95 McCreary Rd- Gladeville and at the Watertown Community Center at 8630 Sparta Pike. All Early Voting locations will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 6:00 pm and on Saturday from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm. Taking advantage of Early Voting has become a tradition in Wilson County allowing voters to choose a day, time and location that is convenient and to avoid the possibility of inclement weather, lines or other delays on Election Day.
On Election Day, Tuesday, March 5th, 2024, Wilson County voters may vote at one of the 18 convenient vote centers. Vote Centers are located throughout the county at sites easily accessible and convenient to where voters work, live, shop or travel. There is no longer an assigned polling place on Election Day. WilsonTNVotes.gov has an interactive map to help you find the Vote Center closest to you on Election Day.
“Our goal is to make the voting experience the best it can be for Wilson County voters. With four Early Voting locations, an efficient and streamlined voting process, a state of the art voting system with a paper ballot that voters can hold in their hands and verify before casting, and convenient Vote Centers on Election Day, Wilson County voters are able to easily express their opinions at the polls,” said Smith.
The Election Commission is the authoritative source for answers to your voting and election related questions and concerns. Sign up for text alerts directly from the Election Commission by texting 91896 to WILSONTNVOTES. In addition to timely election related alerts you can receive answers to your election and voting questions. To learn more registration, Early Voting and for all the details about Vote Centers contact the Wilson County Election Commission at 615-444-0216 or online at www.WilsonTNVotes.gov.