NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Close to 400,000 Tennesseans have already cast ballots in the Nov. 3 general election, and state election officials are reminding everyone still headed to an early voting site to look over their choices carefully before pressing the final button.
Through the fifth day of early voting on Monday, the state counted 397,417 early in-person and absentee votes. That pace is well ahead of the August primary, which had 209,955 votes at the same point and finished its 14-day early window with 635,319. Early voting continues through Thursday, Oct. 29.
The governor’s races of the past offer a wide range of possible finishes. In 2022, early and absentee voting ended at 882,310 votes, while 2018 reached 1,378,840. Turnout patterns have shifted sharply from one cycle to the next, so the early numbers are a rough guide rather than a forecast.
The reminder from the Secretary of State’s office follows complaints from some early voters in Williamson County, who said a machine kept landing on a different candidate for governor than the one they touched and took several tries to correct. The office said it has received a single complaint of that kind among roughly 400,000 ballots cast so far this election.
State officials said Tennessee’s voting equipment is built with several layers of protection so that ballots match what voters intend. Each choice shows on the screen as it is made, a review screen lists every selection before the ballot is cast, and voters can also check the paper ballot or paper record the system produces.
Anyone who thinks something is wrong should tell a poll official right away, before casting the ballot, the office said. Officials also encouraged voters to read up ahead of time on the three proposed constitutional amendments on this year’s ballot, whose full text is posted on the state GoVoteTN website.
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