What’s on your Nov. 5 ballot?
1. Find a sample ballot specific to you
2. Learn more about each candidate and position
Are all of these people on my ballot?
No, not everyone. In a presidential election year, ballots can look busy. All three levels of government — federal, state, and local — have positions that you get to fill with your vote. But not every voter has the same decisions to make. Depending on where you live, your local and state representatives might not be part of the election. That’s why it’s helpful to get a sample ballot specific to you to know exactly what to expect when you hit the polls.
For citizens of Hamilton County, though, a few names will be on everyone’s ballot:
Candidates for president and vice president
Candidates for the U.S. Senate
Candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, District 3
If you live in a city or town in Hamilton County, you may have a few more choices to make. The following municipalities are holding elections this fall for city legislators and, in one case, the mayor:
Collegedale
East Ridge
Lakesite
Red Bank
Signal Mountain
Soddy-Daisy
Walden
What else is on the ballot?
Alcoholic beverages. Residents of unincorporated Hamilton County (those who don’t live within a city or town’s limits) will have an extra question on their ballot. They get to vote on a referendum about whether to allow businesses in unincorporated parts of the county to sell alcohol for customers to drink on site. (Voting FOR the referendum would allow a restaurant to sell cocktails to diners, for example).
Here’s the exact wording of the referendum — voters can choose to vote FOR or AGAINST it:
__ FOR legal sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
__ AGAINST legal sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises in Hamilton County, Tennessee.