Some GOP politics before Nov. 3 election in Sullivan

BLOUNTVILLE — It is mid October, and politics is coming to the forefront during early voting and before the early November elections in Sullivan County. Case in point, some political issues came to the forefront at Thursday's Sullivan County Commission meeting and in a somewhat related Friday announcement of the Republicans of Kingsport Friday. Sullivan County Republican Party Chairman Matthew Johnson, also a county commissioner from Indian Springs, spoke during public comment from a podium instead of his commission seat to let commissioners know they would be receiving an email from the county GOP seeking help to campaign for Republicans on the Nov. 3 election ballot. Later in the meeting, during a comment about the controversy over Flock Safety license plate reading cameras, Commissioner Mark Ireson of Colonial Heights, as previously reported, spoke of the possibility Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerri Green might be elected governor over Republican nominee and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn. And Friday morning, the Republicans of Kingsport, of which Ireson is president, put out a news release urging ROK members and all Republicans to vote Republican in the election to avoid a spoiler race if enough people vote for independent David Hatley to move a plurality to Democrat Green. In the afternoon, a second email went out seeking volunteers to staff a Republican tent at the Blountville early voting, saying without enough volunteers the GOP would have not presence at that location but Democrats were active there. "We must keep Tennessee RED and Marsha Blackburn is our Republican Nominee. Also, ROK's board is taking a stance that we suggest YES on ALL three Amendments," the email says. One proposed amendment would take away the ability to bond out of pre-trial incarceration for those charged with certain serious felonies, the second would ban a state property tax and the third would spell out crime victim's rights. The texts of the three amendments and other things on the Nov. 3 ballot is available online at www.scelect.org/nov2026sampleballot.pdf. In contrast, information handed out by a Democrat campaigner during early voting in Kingsport Wednesday urged voters reject all three amendments. It argued holding people "months before trial" would violate "innocent until proven guilty and increase county jail costs statewide, that Tennessee hasn't had a state property tax for 75 years but someday might need one again and that "Marsy's Law," the third proposed amendment, is driven by a California billionare and would tip the scales of justice before a conviction. "It has been brought to our attention that there are long lines at the polls," the email from ROK states. That echoes a recent suggestion from county Administrator of Elections Jason Booher that voters could avoid long lines by reading over and educate themselves about the three amendments before going to the polls. "Part of this may be that voters are not informed about the three amendments that are on the ballot. Please get out during early voting and exercise your right to vote. Remember a vote for an independent is a wasted vote, it will just give more opportunity for a Dem(ocrat) to get the seat," according to the email outlining the three early voting locations of the Kingsport Civic Auditorium, Sullivan County Election Commission in Blountville and Slater Center in Bristol. "You may go any time during early voting to these locations. On election day you mustgo to your precinct to vote." Early voting turnout Wednesday, the first day, was 1,768, while Thursday it was 1,910, according to data from Booher's office as of Friday afternoon. Early voting runs through Oct. 29 in Sullivan, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays.