Tennessee elections, 2014
- ️Thu Aug 07 2014
The state of Tennessee held elections in 2014. Below are the dates of note:
| 2014 elections and events in Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| Filing deadline for all candidates | April 3, 2014 
|
| Voter registration deadline for Primary election | July 8, 2014
|
| Primary election date | August 7, 2014
|
| Local ballot measure election (1) | August 7, 2014
|
| Voter registration deadline for general election | October 6, 2014
|
| General election date | November 4, 2014
|
| Statewide ballot measure election | November 4, 2014
|
Below are the types of elections that were scheduled in Tennessee in 2014:
2014 elections
Races to watch in Tennessee
Tennessee State Legislature
Elections for 18 seats in the Tennessee State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 7, 2014. A general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 3, 2014. Heading into the election, the Republican Party controlled the chamber. The following table details the eight districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6, 2012, general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Tennessee State Senate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 22 |  Mark Green |
6.2% | 60,220 | Tim Barnes |
| District 20 | Steven Dickerson |
8.2% | 85,534 | Phillip North |
| District 10 | Todd Gardenhire |
8.6% | 67,302 | Andrae McGary |
| District 28 | Joey Hensley |
10.3% | 67,736 | Tyler Cobb |
| District 24 | John Stevens |
12.9% | 68,474 | Brad Thompson |
| District 26 | Dolores Gresham |
20.9% | 71,121 | Meryl Rice |
| District 16 | Janice Bowling |
25.9% | 63,775 | Jim Lewis |
| District 6 | Becky Duncan Massey |
37.3% | 72,435 | Evelyn Gill |
Elections for 99 seats in the Tennessee House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 7, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 3, 2014. Heading into the election, the Republican Party controlled the chamber. The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6, 2012, general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Tennessee House of Representatives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 60 |  Darren Jernigan |
0.4% | 24,525 | Jim Gotto |
| District 50 | Bo Mitchell |
0.6% | 26,260 | Charles Williamson |
| District 13 | Gloria Johnson |
1.4% | 20,832 | Gary Loe |
| District 33 | John Ragan |
2.8% | 24,954 | Jim Hackworth |
| District 43 | Charles Curtiss |
3.3% | 20,563 | Robert Dunham |
| District 74 | John Tidwell |
5.3% | 17,773 | Lauri Day |
| District 70 | Barry Doss |
6.1% | 22,482 | Calvin Moore |
| District 4 |  Kent Williams |
7.4% | 21,360 | Thomas Gray III |
| District 76 | Andy Holt |
8.6% | 20,477 | Mark Maddox |
| District 53 | Jason Powell |
8.7% | 19,700 | Ben Claybaker |
Elections by type
U.S. Senate
U.S. Senate elections in Tennessee
Voters in Tennessee elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 4, 2014.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
| April 3, 2014 | August 7, 2014 | November 4, 2014 |
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Tennessee utilizes an open primary process; a voter must either be registered with a political party or must declare his or affiliation with the party at the polls on primary election day in order to vote in that party's primary.[1][2]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by July 8, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 6, 2014.[3]
- See also: Tennessee elections, 2014
Incumbent: The election filled the Senate seat held by Lamar Alexander (R). Alexander was first elected in 2002.
Candidates
Note: The filing deadline for candidates was April 3, 2014.
General election candidates
August 7, 2014, primary results
Withdrew from race
Removed from ballot
U.S. House
U.S. House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
The 2014 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Tennessee took place on November 4, 2014. Voters elected nine candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's nine congressional districts.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
| April 3, 2014 | August 7, 2014 | November 4, 2014 |
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Tennessee utilizes an open primary process; a voter must either be registered with a political party or must declare his or affiliation with the party at the polls on primary election day in order to vote in that party's primary.[9][10]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by July 8, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 6, 2014.[11]
- See also: Tennessee elections, 2014
Partisan breakdown
Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held seven of the nine congressional seats from Tennessee.
| Members of the U.S. House from Tennessee -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2014 | After the 2014 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 2 | 2 | |
| Republican Party | 7 | 7 | |
| Total | 9 | 9 |
Incumbents
Heading into the 2014 election, the incumbents for the nine congressional districts were:
List of candidates by district
- Note: The filing deadline for candidates was April 3, 2014.
1st Congressional District
General election candidates
August 7, 2014, Republican Primary
2nd Congressional District
General election candidates
August 7, 2014, Republican Primary
3rd Congressional District
General election candidates
August 7, 2014, Republican Primary
4th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 7, 2014, Republican Primary
5th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 7, 2014, Republican Primary
Removed from ballot
6th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 7, 2014, Republican Primary
7th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 7, 2014, primary results
8th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 7, 2014, primary results
9th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 7, 2014, Democratic Primary
State Executives
State executive official elections in Tennessee
The Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Bill Haslam (R) won re-election.
Candidates
- Note: The filing deadline for candidates was April 3, 2014.
Governor
Bill Haslam - Incumbent
[17]
Charles V. "Charlie" Brown[12]
Shaun Crowell - former Libertarian candidate for United States Senate[12]
Isa Infante[12]
Daniel Lewis[12] - appeared on the ballot as an Independent, though this was the subject of a lawsuit[18]
Steve Coburn[19]
John Jay Hooker[12]
Lost in primary
Ron Noonan[19]
Kennedy Spellman Johnson[19]
William H. "John" McKamey - former Sullivan County Supervisor[12]
Mark "Coonrippy" Brown - firearm dealer and YouTube personality[20][21]
Donald Ray McFolin[19]
Basil Marceaux, Sr. - perennial candidate[12]
Disqualified
Mark Clayton - controversial former candidate for United States Senate[19][22]
Jesse Gore[12][23]
Jondavid Balunek[12][23]
J. D. Ellis[12][23]
Withdrawn
Ed Borum[12][24]
Carl Twofeathers Whitaker - former independent gubernatorial candidate[25][19][12]
Linda Perry[19][12]
Declined
Craig Fitzhugh - Tennessee House Minority Leader[26][27]
Sara Kyle - former director of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority.[28][29]
State Senate
State Senate election in Tennessee
Elections for 18 seats in the Tennessee State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 7, 2014. A general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 3, 2014.
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Tennessee State Senate:
| Tennessee State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2014 | After November 4, 2014 | |
| Democratic Party | 6 | 6 | |
| Republican Party | 26 | 27 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 33 |
List of candidates by district
- Note: The filing deadline for candidates was April 3, 2014.
District 1 • District 3 • District 5 • District 7 • District 9 • District 11 • District 13 • District 15 • District 17 • District 19 • District 21 • District 23 • District 25 • District 27 • District 29 • District 31 • District 33
State House
State House elections in Tennessee
Elections for 99 seats in the Tennessee House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 7, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 3, 2014.
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Tennessee House of Representatives:
| Tennessee House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2014 | After November 4, 2014 | |
| Democratic Party | 27 | 26 | |
| Republican Party | 71 | 73 | |
| Carter County Republican | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 99 | 99 |
List of candidates by district
- Note: The filing deadline for candidates was April 3, 2014.
District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22 • District 23 • District 24 • District 25 • District 26 • District 27 • District 28 • District 29 • District 30 • District 31 • District 32 • District 33 • District 34 • District 35 • District 36 • District 37 • District 38 • District 39 • District 40 • District 41 • District 42 • District 43 • District 44 • District 45 • District 46 • District 47 • District 48 • District 49 • District 50 • District 51 • District 52 • District 53 • District 54 • District 55 • District 56 • District 57 • District 58 • District 59 • District 60 • District 61 • District 62 • District 63 • District 64 • District 65 • District 66 • District 67 • District 68 • District 69 • District 70 • District 71 • District 72 • District 73 • District 74 • District 75 • District 76 • District 77 • District 78 • District 79 • District 80 • District 81 • District 82 • District 83 • District 84 • District 85 • District 86 • District 87 • District 88 • District 89 • District 90 • District 91 • District 92 • District 93 • District 94 • District 95 • District 96 • District 97 • District 98 • District 99
Statewide ballot measures
Statewide ballot measure elections in Tennessee
- See also: Tennessee 2014 ballot measures and 2014 ballot measures
Four ballot measures were certified for the November 4, 2014 statewide ballot in Tennessee. The measures were legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
On the ballot
November 4:
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Amendment 1 | Abortion | Empower legislature to enact, amend or repeal statutes regarding abortion | 
|
| LRCA | Amendment 2 | Judiciary | Empower governor to appoint judges subject to confirmation by general assembly |
|
| LRCA | Amendment 3 | Taxes | Prohibit the legislature from levying or permitting any tax upon payroll or earned personal income |
|
| LRCA | Amendment 4 | Gambling | Empower the legislature to permit lotteries for events that benefit 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) organizations |
|
Local ballot measures
Local ballot measure elections in Tennessee
Elections by date
Click below for more information about local ballot measure elections on:
School boards
School board elections in Tennessee
In 2014, 670 of America's largest school districts held elections for 2,188 seats. These elections took place in 37 states.
State elections
A total of 20 Tennessee school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment held elections in 2014 for 87 seats. All 20 districts held elections on August 7, 2014.
Here are several quick facts about Tennessee's school board elections in 2014:
- An average of 1.94 candidates ran for each board seat up for election in 2014 in Tennessee’s largest school districts by enrollment, which was higher than the national average of 1.89 candidates per seat.
- 36.78 percent of the school board seats on the ballot in 2014 were unopposed. This was a higher percentage than the 32.57 percent of school board seats that were unopposed nationally.
- 70.11 percent of the incumbents whose seats were on the ballot ran for re-election in 2014, and they retained 52.87 percent of the total seats up for election.
- A total of 40 newcomers were elected to school boards in Tennessee. They took 45.98 percent of the total seats in 2014, which was higher than the 38.19 percent of school board seats that went to newcomers nationally.
- The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2014 was Shelby County Schools with 159,540 K-12 students.
- The smallest school district by enrollment with an election in 2014 was Washington County Schools with 9,199 K-12 students.
- Shelby County Schools had the most seats on the ballot in 2014 with seven seats up for election.
- Robertson County Schools had the fewest seats on the ballot in 2014 with two seats up for election.
The districts listed below served 609,121 K-12 students during the 2010-2011 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.[30] Click on the district names for more information on the district and its school board elections.
| 2014 Tennessee School Board Elections | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Date | Seats up for election | Total board seats | Student enrollment |
| Blount County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 4 | 7 | 11,742 |
| Bradley County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 3 | 7 | 10,367 |
| Clarksville-Montgomery County School System | 8/7/2014 | 4 | 7 | 29,780 |
| Hamblen County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 4 | 7 | 9,966 |
| Hamilton County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 5 | 9 | 42,589 |
| Jackson-Madison County School System | 8/7/2014 | 5 | 9 | 13,094 |
| Knox County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 5 | 9 | 57,847 |
| Maury County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 6 | 11 | 11,713 |
| Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools | 8/7/2014 | 4 | 9 | 78,782 |
| Putnam County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 3 | 6 | 10,955 |
| Robertson County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 2 | 6 | 11,288 |
| Rutherford County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 4 | 7 | 38,846 |
| Sevier County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 3 | 5 | 14,581 |
| Shelby County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 7 | 9 | 159,540 |
| Sullivan County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 3 | 7 | 11,451 |
| Sumner County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 6 | 11 | 27,907 |
| Tipton County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 4 | 9 | 12,153 |
| Washington County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 6 | 9 | 9,199 |
| Williamson County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 6 | 12 | 31,616 |
| Wilson County Schools | 8/7/2014 | 3 | 5 | 15,705 |
Voting in Tennessee
- See also: Voting in Tennessee
Important voting information
- A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Tennessee utilizes an open primary process; a voter must either be registered with a political party or must declare his or affiliation with the party at the polls on primary election day in order to vote in that party's primary.[31][32]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
- Tennessee does not permit online voter registration.
Voting absentee
- See also: Absentee voting by state
For information about eligibility, deadlines, military and overseas voting and updates to the voting laws in Tennessee, please visit our absentee voting by state page.
Voting early
- See also: Early voting
Tennessee is one of 34 states that has early voting with no specific requirements as to who can vote early. Early voting begins 20 days before Election Day and ends five days prior. The average number of days prior to an election that voters can cast an early ballot is 21 days in states with a definitive starting date.[33]
Elections Performance Index
Tennessee ranked 17th out of the 50 states and District of Columbia in the Pew Charitable Trusts' Elections Performance Index (EPI), based on the 2012 elections. The EPI examined election administration performance and assigned an average percentage score based on 17 indicators of election performance. These indicators were chosen in order to determine both the convenience and integrity of these three phases of an election: registration, voting and counting. Tennessee received an overall score of 68 percent.[34]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Lexis, "Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-115," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State Website, "Voter Qualification," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 Tennessee.gov, "Governor, United States Senate, and United States House of Representatives Petitions Filed by Qualifying Deadline," accessed April 3, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Tennessee Secretary of State, "Petitions Filed for Governor, United States Senate, and United States House of Representatives," accessed July 18, 2014
- ↑ Magee4Congress, "Home," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 '’Associated Press, "Tennessee - Summary Vote Results," accessed August 7, 2014
- ↑ Harrison Kelly for U.S. Senate, "A Message from Harrison Kelly," accessed July 18, 2014
- ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Lexis, "Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-115," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State Website, "Voter Qualification," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 12.20 12.21 12.22 12.23 12.24 12.25 12.26 12.27 12.28 12.29 12.30 12.31 12.32 12.33 12.34 12.35 12.36 12.37 12.38 12.39 12.40 12.41 12.42 12.43 12.44 12.45 12.46 12.47 12.48 12.49 12.50 12.51 12.52 12.53 12.54 12.55 12.56 12.57 12.58 12.59 12.60 12.61 12.62 12.63 12.64 12.65 Tennessee.gov, "Governor, United States Senate, and United States House of Representatives Petitions Filed by Qualifying Deadline," accessed April 3, 2014 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "filing" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Tennessee.gov, "Candidates for the November 4, 2014 General Election," accessed October 6, 2014
- ↑ 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 Associated Press, "Tennessee - Summary Vote Results," accessed August 7, 2014
- ↑ PBS.org, "Tenn. primary challenger concedes to Rep. DesJarlais, despite 38-vote margin," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Petitions Filed for Governor, United States Senate, and United States House of Representatives," accessed July 18, 2014
- ↑ Governing, "Tennessee Gov. Haslam to Run for Re-Election," December 18, 2012
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "Tennessee Libertarian Party Files Ballot Access Lawsuit," August 3, 2014
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 Tennessee Secretary of State, "Petitions Issued by State Election Commission Office," March 26, 2014
- ↑ UPI, "Man running for Tennessee governor to get his raccoon back," January 8, 2014
- ↑ The Raw Story, "Tennessee man runs for governor in GOP primary for right to shower with his raccoon," January 8, 2014
- ↑ Times Free Press, "Tennessee Democrats act to keep anti-gay activist out of governor race," April 6th, 2014
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Tennessee Secretary of State, "Petitions Filed," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Petitions Issued by State Election Commission Office," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Communication with Whitaker campaign staff, By: Kristen Mathews, December 27, 2013
- ↑ Nashville City Paper, "House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh ponders run in 2014 governor race," December 12, 2012
- ↑ Nashville Scene, "Fitzhugh Passes on Run for Governor," July 22, 2013
- ↑ The Tennessean, August 6, 2013
- ↑ WBIR, "Tennessee Democrats hamstrung by lack of candidates," January 23, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed March 21, 2014
- ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Lexis, "Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-115," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Early Voting," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ Pew Charitable Trusts, "Election Performance Index Report," accessed April 23, 2014
