Knox County sees another 'banner day' for early voting. (GOP stronghold in Tennessee)

Knox News ^ | 10/18/2018 | Knox News

[Ravi]

Nearly 10,000 people showed up to the polls each day on the first and second days of early voting. The first day alone was one of the best in at least 10 years according to the election commission.

Even though it's not a presidential election year, Knox County voters are swarming to the polls early -- possibly breaking a county record in the process.

Generally, midterm elections see a lower-than-average voter turnout compared to presidential election years -- but this does not appear to be the case for the 2018 midterms.

[Ravi]

Knox County Results by year:

2016: Trump-105,767 Clinton-62,878

2014: Haslam(R)-78,571 Brown(D)-15,986

2012: Romney-109,707 Obama-59,399

2010: Haslam(R)-84,915 McWherter(D)-17,869

Turnout so far this year at presidential level in this strong GOP county in TN (#redwave?).

Turnout in much larger Democratic Nashville and Memphis (Davidson and Shelby County) is about the same as smaller Knox thus far.

https://www.nashville.gov/Election-Commission/Voters/Early-Voting-In-Person.aspx

https://www.shelbyvote.com/sites/default/files/documents/elections/2018/11.06%20State%20General/Summary%20EV%20Report%20for%20Web%20with%20ABS.pdf

This is quite interesting...For those who don't know, TN doesn't provide breakdown by party (R/D/I) amongst those who are voting. We can of course read tea leaves by seeing which counties are participating the most. I have glanced at a few other larger GOP counties and their turnout is also high (the ones that provide daily reports).

I think this tentatively bodes well for Blackburn. We will see.

[Ravi]

FYI...Tennessee information (can’t sleep)

[fortheDeclaration]

I think turnout for the GOP will reach 2016 Presidential levels.

[radu]

I’m in a small rural county in TN and the turnout yesterday was amazing. Today wasn’t as crazy but it was still busier than expected. I’m with a Republican women’s group and we have a tent set up by the polling station and a lot of people have stopped by to get yard signs and stickers, and just to chat. Several have said they’d voted “R” for the first time, that they’d never vote for a demoncrat again. They’re disgusted by the violent rhetoric coming out of DC more than anything.

I hope the same thing is going on in all the rest of the smaller counties to counter the masses of libs in the large cities.

[ZULU]

With respect to those urban areas, we need state laws requiring removal of dead residents or people who have moved out, done on an annual basis and certified by
Spot checking.

In those areas controlled by Democrats,
this is frequently not done and the Dems
cast bogus votes.

[DAC21]

Dimwit Taylor “not so” Swift is greatly saddened.

[radu]

I’m with you all the way on that!

A lot of the problem is people don’t contact their state representatives and senators about issues and that’s one we ALL need to contact them about. One or two people contacting them isn’t enough but most people don’t seem to want to take the time to do it. *sigh*

[Liz]

.......my Republican women’s group set up a tent by the polling station. Several people said they’d voted “R” for the first time,
that they’d never vote for a demoncrat again. They’re disgusted by the violent rhetoric coming out of DC more than anything........

Thanks for the realime report....glad to hear it.

[Ravi]

Thanks for that first person account.

[Tom Bombadil]

It looks to me like the Democrat party may be split into the “hate Trump” vote and the “I don’t care vote”. The Republican party as a whole seems to be coalescing around Trump. Hatred is a very poor motivator for the apathetic portion of an electorate, while economics can be.

[LS]

Wow.

[SharpRightTurn]

Reports of early voting in Washington and Sullivan Counties (solid Republican counties in northeast TN) are of turnouts much larger than typical off-year elections.

[SpeedyInTexas]

Need Blackburn to win. Put money on her also with PredictIt.

[Ravi]

Good to know

[Ravi]

Let’s all hope you win

[SpeedyInTexas]

I have spread my bets out. Picking likely DEMs and likely REPs and then some “stretches” based on my read.

Got Cruz at 68 cents on the dollar. Got Nunes at 82 cents on the dollar. Got Heller at 58 cents on the dollar.

Going with Reps in WV-3, MN-1, MN-8, WA-8, NC-13, VA-2, TX-21, IL-12, WI-1.

Going with Manchin in WV, Menendez in NJ (it is NJ after all).

[Ravi]

Those all seem like solid bets! Let’s see how much money you make on November 6th.

[Figment]

Saw the same in my west TN red county. Early voting started Wednesday. First two days were record turnouts

[radu]

You’re welcome.
It’s nice to be able to type something about this crazy election that makes me smile. LOL

And those folks did make us all smile. I’m not working at the tent today but will be there again a few days next week. Curious as to how many more former “D” voters we’ll meet and what their reasons for leaving the party will be.
I don’t know if any of them have heard of the “Walk-Away” movement but they ARE walk-aways. :-)