Voter’s Guide: 2016 Knox County General Election and State Primary

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Early voting for the Aug. 4 Knox County general elections/state and federal primaries kicks off this week, on July 15, and will run through July 30. Locally, the big races are for County Commission seats, pitting Republicans versus Democrats (plus a couple of Independents); meanwhile, there’s one contested race for a Board of Education seat. On the state level, there is but one contested primary, the GOP race for House of Representatives District 18; otherwise, Republican and Democratic primary candidates do not face opponents. Same goes for the federal level (that means Rep. Jimmy Duncan will be the GOP candidate again, natch.) They will face challengers in the November general election.

Ultimately, voters will decide on filling seven positions on County Commission and seating four on the Board of Education. All of these races except the BOE are partisan, which means candidates declare a political party. Only Republicans vied to fill openings as law director and property assessor, so the winners of the previous primary are victors now, lacking Democratic challengers: Richard “Bud” Armstrong for law director and John Whitehead as property assessor.

In this voter’s guide, we’ve queried each contested candidate on not only their political philosophies, but also on specific issues. We hope it provides a clearer idea of what they stand for (or not) as you make your candidate selections.

Voter’s Guide: 2016 Knox County Commission Candidates
Voter’s Guide: 2016 Knox County Board of Education Candidates
18th District Showdown: State Rep. Martin Daniel Tangles With Three GOP Challengers
Why Is Voter Turnout in Local Elections So Low—and What Can Be Done About It?

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