Tag: tennessee
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A closer look at Tennessee’s recall laws
Tennessee statutes allow recalls in any “governmental entity having a charter provision for a petition for recall.” This delegates the decision about recalls of local officials to each municipality. If a local government’s charter allows for such recalls, then state law establishes the signature requirements and filing deadlines for conducting them. This also applies to…
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School mask requirement ban suspended in Arizona, enacted in Tennessee
As schools have begun reopening for the 2021-2022 academic year, several states have enacted policies regarding mask requirements in schools. As of Aug. 17, seven states banned school mask requirements, thirty states left school mask decisions up to local authorities, and thirteen states required masks in schools. Recent actions were taken in Arizona, Tennessee, and…
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Davidson County court blocks July referendum to amend Nashville’s charter
On June 22, Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins ruled that a petition for six charter amendments backed by 4 Good Government was invalid and blocked the amendments from appearing on the July 27 ballot. Perkins ruled that the petition included two proposed election dates, but local law requires that petitioners specify a single election date.…
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Tennessee House of Representatives District 29 special election set for Sept. 14
Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 29 seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives on Sept. 14, 2021. The seat became vacant after Mike Carter (R) died on May 15. The primary is on July 27, and the filing deadline is on June 17.
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Tennessee Representative Mike Carter dies
Tennessee state Representative Mike Carter (R) died from pancreatic cancer on May 15, 2021. Carter first won election to the 29th District on Nov. 6, 2012. He was subsequently re-elected four times, most recently in 2020. Governor Bill Lee (R) said in a post on Twitter, “I will miss Mike Carter who was a leader,…
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Tennessee legislature votes to send amendment providing for an acting governor to the 2022 ballot
On May 4, the Tennessee General Assembly voted to send a constitutional amendment to provide a process, along with a line of succession, for an acting governor when the governor is unable to perform the office’s powers and duties. The ballot measure would allow the governor to provide a written, signed declaration saying that he…
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Tennessee legislature sends right-to-work amendment to voters in 2022
On April 29, the Tennessee General Assembly voted to refer a constitutional amendment to the 2022 ballot that would make it illegal for workplaces to require mandatory labor union membership as a condition for employment. This type of policy is known as right-to-work. Tennessee enacted a right-to-work statute in 1947. Sen. Brian Kelsey (R), the…
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Tennessee election review
The statewide primary for Tennessee was held on August 6, 2020. Candidates competed to advance to the general election scheduled for November 3, 2020. Candidates ran in elections for the following offices: U.S. Senate: Incumbent Lamar Alexander (R) did not file for re-election, leaving the seat open. Five Democrats and 15 Republican candidates competed in…
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Diana Harshbarger wins 16-candidate TN-01 Republican primary
Diana Harshbarger defeated 15 other candidates in Tennessee’s 1st Congressional District’s Republican Party primary on August 6, 2020. Incumbent Rep. Phil Roe (R), first elected in 2008, is not running for re-election. Harshbarger received 19.2% of the vote, followed by Timothy Hill with 16.8%, Rusty Crowe with 16.1%, Josh Gapp with 14.2%, and Steve Darden…
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Rep. Jim Cooper defeats two challengers in TN-05 Democratic primary
U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D) defeated Keeda Haynes and Joshua Rawlings in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District Democratic primary on August 6, 2020. With 52% of precincts reporting, Cooper received 56.6% of the vote to Haynes’ 40.8% and Rawlings’ 2.6%. No Republican candidate filed to run for the seat, so Cooper will appear on the November…