NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Caucus or primaries?
Most Tennesseans, except for a few counties, cast their ballots for local elections through primary systems.
I found out that one bill looks to make the primary system of voting law.
It's a term you may hear a lot outside of the state: caucus.
But recently it's been a topic of conversation in Williamson County: should parties engage their voters through primary elections or caucuses?
As admin of elections in Williamson County, Chad Gray is here to make sure your vote does get counted in whatever system elections take on.
“Our office is a bipartisan office,” he said. “An election is more routine than the caucus, but it’s up to the parties of what they want to occur.”
He says since the 1980s, most Tennesseans have cast their ballots through the primary system.
Some lawmakers are Capitol Hill want to keep it that way.
“A county party could get elected and decide they want to go back to an old-school caucus, which is to disenfranchise tens of thousands of people,” said Senator Jack Johnson. “It’s a set of event at a specific time and a specific date… if you can’t make it, you don’t get a voice.”
He leads the republican party in the Senate, but Senator Jack Johnson says his bill looks to protect voters of all parties by making primaries for local elections law.
“I’m adamantly opposed to regressing and going back to a caucus system where it’s basically a smoke-filled back-room party insiders picking our party's nominee.”
It's a bill that would keep the status quo, and if signed, shut the door on any party or voting system shake-up.
“We already have that requirement for state and federal offices,” said Johnson.
Five counties in Tennessee do use the caucus voting system for local elections.
They would be grandfathered in and would not have to revert to the primary system.
If you have thoughts on this story, email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com.
