The three provisional ballots are in sealed orange envelopes and are not included in the total vote count. The three ballots were cast by registered voters who did not have a valid photo ID. They have until 4:30 p.m. Monday to present their IDs to the election commission.
In another closely contested race for the new 10th Senatorial District in the Republican Primary, Greg Vital trails Todd Gardenhire by only 15 votes. Like Bradley County, Hamilton County provisional ballots have yet to be counted from Thursday’s County General and State Primary races.
The 10th District was created earlier this year when the Tennessee General Assembly opted to split Bradley County between the 10th and 9th Senatorial districts. The 10th District includes portions of Bradley and Hamilton counties. Bradley County shares the 9th District with McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties.
Gardenhire received 1,817 votes in Bradley and 6,178 in Hamilton for a total of 7,995 total to Vital’s 2,586 in Bradley and 5,394 in Hamilton County.
Provisional ballots could affect the final count but at present, Gardenhire is the winner. Hamilton County Administrator of Elections Charlotte Mullis-Morgan said she doubted there were enough provisional ballots to affect any of the races. She said the Hamilton County election would be certified at 8 a.m. on Aug. 16.
One of the two GOP candidates will face Andrae McGary, the Democratic challenger in the upcoming November election.
In one of the most talked about parts of the ballot, Bradley County voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposed $32 wheel tax by roughly a 75 percent to 25 percent margin, with all 17 precincts reporting. Early voting totals on the wheel tax referendum showed 6,075 voted against it and 1,978 supported it. Totaled, including early voting and Election Day ballots, 10,975 voted against the proposed tax.
Voter turnout was more than 25 percent with 14,731 turning out to take part in the election process.
According to Steve Crump, member of the Bradley County Election Commission, the three provisional ballots in the District 3 school board race have been locked away and those voters who filled out provisionals will have to visit the Bradley County Elections Office and provide valid ID for them to be counted.
Crump confirmed two ballots were cast at the Senior Center and one at Lee University.
Incumbent 3rd District Congressman Chuck Fleischmann received 41.45 percent of the Bradley County vote over Scottie Mayfield’s 29.24 percent and Weston Wamp’s 27.23 percent of the total vote.
Scott DesJarlais defeated Shannon Kelley by garnering 57.80 percent, or 4,200 votes to Kelley’s 41.74 percent, or 3,033 votes for the 4ht District Congressional seat.
In the 22nd District, state Rep. Eric Watson took 4,098 votes to David Kimbro’s 636. Watson tallied 86.40 percent in Bradley County. Jonathan Gladden is the Democratic challenger in the 22nd District House race.
Incumbent Kevin Brooks also had 80 percent of the vote over Jack Epperson in the 24th District House of Representatives races.
Brooks got 5,737 votes to Epperson’s 1,424.
Charlotte Jones received 1,622 complimentary votes in the County Commission District 4 seat. Stanley Thompson was unopposed in the Assessor of Property race and got 11,909 complimentary votes.
In the Bradley County School Board District 1 race, Chris Turner won 48.60 percent of the vote to Laura Mountain’s 26.27 percent and former Bradley County commissioner Ben Atchley Jr.’s 24.98 percent.
Rodney Dillard got 739 complimentary votes for Bradley County School Board District 5 and Charlie Rose received 1,542 complimentary votes for District 7 School Board.
Edd Lewis did not have an opponent for the District 7 Constable position and received 1,602 votes.
George Poe Jr. got 4,162 complimentary votes for the Cleveland City Council-at-Large seat.
Avery L. Johnson, retained his seat in the District 3 City Council race. Bill Wheeler received 651 votes to Johnson’s 813.
David May Jr. also received 1,183 complimentary votes in his unopposed race for City Council District 4.
In Cleveland City Council District 5, incumbent Dale R. Hughes took 55.17 percent of the vote over Tucker Johnston’s 20.56 percent and Jonathan Porter’s 24.27 percent.
Hughes received 789 votes to Johnston’s 294 and Porter’s 347.
Incumbent School Board-at-Large member Steve Morgan received 4,457 complimentary votes during the voting day and early voting times.
George Meacham got 511 complimentary votes for Cleveland City School Board District 1 and Murl Dirksen garnered 311 complimentary votes for the City School Board District 2 seat.
Charleston voters will retain Larry Anderson and Donna McDermott on the Charleston City Council.
According to vote totals, Anderson got 38.03 percent of the vote and McDermott received 39.44 percent to challenger Tony Whitener’s 22.54 percent.
