Sullivan voting machines ready to go for May 5 election

BLOUNTVILLE — Sullivan County's voting machines, which utilize scanned paper ballots as they have since 2022, are ready to go for the May 5 primary election. The Sullivan County Election Commission, represented by Administrator of Elections Jason Booher, offer voting machine inspections for representatives of the two political parties and the media. Wednesday, however, only the Kingsport Times News/Six Rivers Media showed up for the inspection, which Booher said was done along with the process of sealing the machines and printing the zero tapes. One Republican and one Democratic machine technician appointed by the election commission together seal the machines and print the zero tapes. HOW VOTING PROCESS WORKS Booher said that for four years, Tennessee election integrity has been ranked No. 1 by the Heritage Foundation, based on state law, facilities and quality of the election workers. He said those who first-hand run the election, poll workers, are county citizens who are "your neighbors and friends." Booher, whose been election administrator for 18 years, said his job is oversight. "I'm just here to be the director for the play, the play being the elections," Booher said, adding that the process should be easily understandable both for past Sullivan County voters as well as new residents voting in their first Sullivan County or Tennessee election. Voting in Sullivan County is done on hand-marked paper ballots, which are printed for each voter after the voter presents himself or herself to vote and is determined to be a registered voter in the correct polling place. Since 2022, when the paper ballots replaced an electronic voting system using what some people termed a rotary phone control to vote, Booher said an optical scanner is used to scan hand-marked ballots. The current system is the Hart InterCivic Verity Scan voting system, which replaced the Hart DRE, which stands for direct-recording electronic voting system, he said was in use by the county before 1996. "Follow instructions on the ballot. Just read the ballot. It's very self explanatory," Booher said. He demonstrated the technology, which needs a check mark or X placed in the box beside the candidate or candidates for which a voter wants to choose. He said any mark would work, but that a small dot often is not large enough, so the machine will reject that ballot and ask the voters to make a readable mark. If, however, a voters overvotes — casts a vote for two candidates when only one position is available or for three candidates when only two positions are available — the overvote ballot is deposited in a special slot and the voter is given another ballot to mark correctly. In contrast, if an undervote occurs — a voter chooses only one candidate when two or more positions are up for grabs or does not vote at all in one or more races — Booher said the system will accept the ballot since undervoting is allowed. "That is their choice," Booher said. "The scanner is not going to alert to that." Sometimes, he said a voter will decide not to cast any votes, which he said is questioned before the system records the blank ballot votes. Along those lines, if a voter fills in all races on side one of a two-sided ballot but none on the other side, he said the system will question that to make sure the voter didn't overlook the second side. He demonstrated how the system works, intentionally marking a ballot so the "may not be properly marked" message appears on the machine's screen. Write-in votes are taken, he said, but only counted in local races if the write-in candidate notified election officials by the deadline he or she was planning to seek the office. Thus, votes for Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny or Donald Duck, once a comic aside in media election coverage, are not tallied even if cast. WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT? Probably the most prominent race May 5 will be the GOP primary contest for the party nomination for county mayor, a race for a four-year term between Sullivan County Commissioner Zane Vanover of Kingsport and county Board of Education vice chairwoman and former Commissioner Angie Stanley, also of Kingsport. Incumbent Richard Venable of Kingsport is not seeking reelection after 16 non-consecutive years as mayor. Because the deadline for declaring a write-in candidacy for local officials has passed, Booher said the May 5 mayoral results will determine the next mayor since the Thursday, Aug. 6, county general election will be merely a formality. In local races, Tennessee law says write-in candidates must notify a local election commission of their intent to run a write-in campaign 50 days before election day, which already has passed for offices on the May 5 ballots. In addition, the deadline has passed for a candidate removed from a primary by a political party to contest that removal. Media reports have indicated that the state GOP removed District 2 state House hopeful Richard Isaacs of Kingsport from the ballot, but Isaacs withdrew from the ballot within the seven-day deadline after the qualifying deadline. That leaves outgoing County Commissioner Gary Stidham of Kingsport as the only candidate for the seat, being vacated by state Rep. Bud Hulsey, R-Kingsport. "Mr. Isaacs should not have appeared on the disqualification list," Sullivan County GOP Chairman Matthew Johnson said in a Wednesday emailed statement. "Richard Isaacs withdrew on his own accord unrelated to the bona fide TNGOP Bylaws prior to the withdrawal deadline. In fact, his voting record reflects ¾ Bona Fide Status and he also satisfies the active portions as well. Not sure if it was a clerical error but he should not be on a list of individuals who picked up to run as Republicans who may have been removed for after the Spring TNGOP State Executive Committee Meeting. I wanted to clarify this before it continues to move forward with his name listed in error. I can presume we as the Tennessee Republican Party may have provided the wrong information regarding Mr. Issacs." Isaacs instead is one of five hopefuls seeking three nonpartisan, at-large Kingsport four-year aldermen seats for which he also qualified and filled, as have Julie Byers, Calvin Clifton, Joshua McMillan and Tom Segelhorst. Their election is Aug. 4. Also on that nonpartisan ballot is incumbent Mayor Paul Mongomery seeking a second two-year term and facing a challenge from perennial city office seeker Tim Sanders, also in the Aug. 4 general election. In Kingsport school board elections, two incumbents and two newcomers are seeking two seats. Board of Education President Brandon Fletcher and Vice President Melissa Woods face a Republican primary challenge from Sara Cassidy. The top two vote-getters from the GOP will face off with independent Derrick Browder in the Aug. 6 general election. In the county school board elections, incumbent Michael Hughes faces a challenge from former school board member and former County Commission Todd Broughton in the District 4 school board race, although Broughton lives outside the district. Back to May 5, primaries also will include those seeking 24 County Commission seats, three county school board seats and other offices, although not all are contested. In addition, two Kingsport school board seats are on the primary ballots. Of all the races, only one Democrat is seeking local elected office, District 1 hopeful Terry Marek in the far eastern end of the county, where Republican Don Thompson will be on the GOP ballot. Marek also is running for Democratic Executive Committeeman. Thompson, Marek and independent Hunter Woodall will be on the county's Aug. 6 general election ballot, which also is the date for the state Republican and Democratic lawmaker primaries. Some county officers have unopposed Republican incumbents, while others, such as sheriff, have an incumbent unopposed but who will face an independent in the Aug. 4 general election, when polls will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The deadline to register to vote or change your registration address for the May 5 primaries is Monday, April 6, Booher said. Election day voting is at assigned precincts or polling places. The early voting schedule for the May 5 primaries starts April 15, with half-day voting on Saturdays ending at noon. In Blountville at the Election Commission Office, 3258 Highway 126, Suite 103, early voting is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 15-17, April 20-24 and April 27-30 and 9 a.m. to noon April 18 and 24. At the Civic Auditorium, 1550 Fort Henry Drive, Kingsport, and the Slater Center, 325 McDowell St., Bristol, early voting is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 23-24 and April 27-30 and 9 a.m. to noon April 25. For a full list of hopefuls on the ballots for May 5, Aug. 6 and so far for Nov. 3, go the Sullivan County Election Commission webpage at scelect.org. In addition, the Kingsport Times News plans to publish a special section with candidate questionnaires for contested races Saturday, April 11.