Voter turnout in TN up from 2020 presidential election cycle

Election officials throughout Northeast TN are saying turnout is up about three to five percent from the 2020 presidential election cycle, and that was a record year. Long lines have been reported at most early voting sites, with some areas reporting waits of more than an hour. Officials also are making note of an uptick in first time voters. Washington County TN election officials are expecting to exceed 2020’s 82 percent turnout, with longer lines expected on election day. In Sullivan County officials say they’ve kept the wait down to around 20 minutes in most places and attribute part of the shorter waits to using paper ballots which allows more people to vote at once.