12 candidates qualify so far for mayor, other offices in Smyrna, La Vergne, Eagleville
Next election is Nov. 8
- Election official expects strong La Vergne turnout
- Incumbents for Smyrna offices qualify for election
- Local government races remain nonpartisan
- Overall turnout may be low without a U.S. Senate race on ballot, official says
Clarification: Smyrna Vice Mayor Marc Adkins has qualified as a candidate for town council in the Nov. 8 election. He was excluded by mistake by the election office as reported in an earlier post of this story.
Smyrna, Eagleville and La Vergne voters await Nov. 8 ballots for their mayors and council or board candidates.
The deadline to qualify with the Rutherford County Election Commission is noon Aug. 18. So far, 12 candidates have met the requirements as of 8:18 a.m. Tuesday, according to an email to The Daily News Journal from Alan Farley, the administrator of elections for the local commission.
To qualify, a candidate must obtain at least 25 signatures of voters who reside in the area the office represents.
Election Commissioners such as Judy Whitehilll hope turnout for the November election date will improve from the May 3 county primary and Aug. 4 election. The Nov. 8 ballots will include candidates for Congress, governor and the Tennessee General Assembly.
Whitehill said she was disappointed by the recent low turnout for the Aug. 4 election with only 14.5% of the 202,603 registered voters participating. This recent Thursday election included electing candidates for county and Murfreesboro offices, judicial offices for county, state and Smyrna, and choosing party nominees in primaries for state and federal offices.
"If you don't vote, you can't complain about any election results," Whitehill said. "You have to be a part of the process. I think local elections are as important as state and national often are because of how it impacts are day-to-[day lives, which includes schools, roads and the development of our community."
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Farley, the full-time election administrator, expects low turnout in November because there's not a U.S. Senate race on the Tennessee ballot this year like there was in 2018 with a 57% turnout with Republican winner Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Phil Bredesen, a former Tennessee governor and Nashville mayor.
"Local issues are consumed within the national narrative in my opinion and are severely overlooked by the electorate," Farley said.
Farley, however, does expect stronger turnout in La Vergne because of the contested ballots.
"The La Vergne municipal elections always provide some excitement every November," Farley said.
Local government seats are all independent
The elections for city or town governments are nonpartisan, so all qualified candidates for Smyrna Town Council and mayor, Eagleville City Council and mayor, and La Vergne Board of Mayor and Aldermen are listed as independents.
In Smyrna, the mayor candidate and top three Smyrna Town Council candidates earning at-large votes in the town win four-year terms.
The top two La Vergne aldermen candidates winning at-large votes win four-year terms along with the mayor.
Eagleville has the mayor and four council seats up for election. No candidate has qualified, but four people have picked up petitions from the election commission.
The Daily News Journal will update this story as more candidates qualify.
Who's qualified for Smyrna seats
Mayor race
- Mary Esther Reed, incumbent
Council race
- Marc Adkins, incumbent vice mayor
- H.G. Cole Jr., incumbent
- Gerry Short, incumbent
- Marquinta "Mutt" Richardson
Who's qualified for La Vergne seats
Mayor race
- Jason Cole, incumbent
- Matthew B. Mednick
- John Mack Rutledge
Aldermen race
- Graeme Coates, incumbent
- Carol V. Hass
- Kara Hobbs
- Kathy Tyson
Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription for all dnj.com stories.
Reach reporter Nancy DeGennaro at degennaro@dnj.com.
Election dates and facts
- Next election: Nov. 8
- Last day to register to vote to participate in Nov. 8 election: Oct. 11
- Dates for absentee ballot by mail voting for Nov. 8 election: Aug. 10 through Nov. 1
- Early voting period at polling locations for Nov. 8 election: October 19 through Nov. 3
- What races are on ballots in Rutherford County: seats for U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee General Assembly, governor, and mayor and other local government offices for Smyrna, La Vergne and Eagleville
Source: Rutherford County Election Commission staff