Nashville sees steady voter turnout

Davidson County election officials report that voter turnout in Nashville is strong and steady as of Monday, November 2. John Richardson, the county’s administrator of elections, stated that activity across the 178 polling locations has remained consistent throughout the day.

Voters have expressed concern about potential intimidation or technical glitches at the polls. The Guardians of Democracy, a group composed of lawyers and volunteers, is stationed at sites to protect voter access. Margaret Akers, a volunteer in Davidson County, said the group watches for signs of undue pressure. She noted that excessively long lines or the presence of federal officials from the Department of Justice could signal a problem. Akers said, “If lines are exceedingly excessive, that would be a concern if there are folks here from this would be the worst case scenario from DOJ and people feel intimidated for whatever reason.”

Technical issues with touchscreen voting machines have also drawn attention. Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett advised voters to review their selections before the final printout. Hargett explained that the screens light up to show the voter’s choices. He said, “Your vote lights up and so you’re able to see, ‘Oh, that wasn’t my intent.’ You change it back to what your intent was, but you also have a couple of other different opportunities to review your ballot and even when your ballot prints out before you run it through the scanner, you have the opportunity to check that that ballot two more times.”

County officials determine which voting equipment to use. Davidson, Williamson, and Wilson counties are currently using the same voting machines.