Voters prepare for 2024 primary elections

The 2024 Election Primaries. | Graphic Credit / npr.org

For anyone who wants to vote in the Super Tuesday presidential primary in Tennessee, but who are not registered to vote, the deadline to register is quickly approaching.

Feb. 4 is the last day that Tennessee residents can register to vote on Super Tuesday, which is March 5. Tennessee and 15 other states will hold their presidential primary elections that day. Super Tuesday features the largest number of primaries for U.S. states and territories.

Primary elections occur in the spring or early summer each year of a general election, which is set for the first Tuesday in November. Primaries provide a time where voters can voice their opinions on which candidate they want to move on to run for the presidential election for each party.

Tennessee residents can register in person, online or through the mail. Go to https://ovr.govote.tn.gov/ for more information on how to register to vote.

Once a Tennessee resident is registered to vote, that person can vote early (in person) or request a mail-in ballot. The deadline to request a mail- in ballot is Feb. 27, and the early voting period runs Monday to Saturday Feb. 14-27, according to the Tennessee secretary of state website.

“We are expecting strong voter turnout for the presidential election cycle next year,” said Tre Hargett, Tennessee secretary of state. “I encourage all Tennesseans who need to register to vote or update their voter registration address do so now.”

There are different types of primary elections including open, closed and semi-closed. Tennessee uses an open primary system. Th is system is where a voter can vote in the primary election of any party, but can vote in only one party’s primary. In Tennessee, voters have to register with a political party or declare an affiliation to a party at the polls on the day of the primary election to vote for that specific party’s primary according to Section 2-7-115 of the Tennessee Code.

Other states host closed primaries where a voter can only vote in the primary for the party they declared when they registered to vote. There are also semi-closed primaries, where independent voters can choose which party’s primary they will vote in, but those registered to a party can only vote within that party’s primary.

There is a long list of candidates for voters to choose from, including the candidates listed below (in alphabetical order):
• Joe Biden (Democrat)
• Ryan Binkley (Republican)
• Nikki Haley (Republican)
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Independent)
• Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party)
• Dean Phillips (Democrat)
• Jill Stein (Green Party)
• Donald Trump (Republican)
• Cenk Uygur (Democrat)
• Cornel West (Independent)
• Marianne Williamson (Democrat)
For a full list of presidential candidates visit: https://www.fec.gov/data/candidates/election_year=2024&office=P.