KCEC splits two precincts
Clifford Rodgers, Knox County administrator of elections, said Knox County Election Commission split two precincts for the next election while moving other precincts’ voting locations.
Rodgers said the commission made all but one of the changes for the upcoming August and November elections in order to reduce the length of lines and make parking easier. He said lines for voting had been long in west Knox County locations for the March primary.
“People don’t like to wait to vote,” Rodgers said.
He said a northern part of precinct 69S is now precinct 69E. Voters in that precinct will vote at Bluegrass Elementary.
He said the rest of the voters in district 69S will stay in 69S and vote at Northshore Elementary School.
He said precinct 70 would split into two precincts as well. Most of former precinct 70 northeast of Middlebrook Pike will be Precinct 70E and vote at Amherst Elementary School. The rest of the former precinct will be precinct 70W and vote at Ball Camp Elementary School.
He said other precincts, while not changing, would have new locations for polling. Precinct 65 voters will vote at Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive, rather than Farragut Middle School, the place at which they had previously voted. Precinct 65N voters will vote at Farragut Primary School instead of Farragut Middle School, their previous polling place. Precinct 66N formerly had polling at Farragut High School, but now has polling at Farragut Middle School. Rogers said these changes were intended to reduce the length of lines by moving voters from different precincts to different locations rather than having two precincts voting at FMS and two at FHS.
“How can this not help but reduce lines on Election Day?” he said.
Precinct 72 now has voting at Crown College rather than the Boys and Girls Club. Rodgers said this change was the only one not motivated by long lines.
Rodgers said voters will not receive new voter identification cards, nor will they need to order them. However, he said people with new polling locations would be notified by mail with brightly colored postcards that will have their new precinct numbers and polling locations. Notification postcards will arrive close to election time. He said neither postcards nor IDs would be required for voting. Voters will, however, need to be registered and have valid photo identification issued by the state of Tennessee or Federal government.
Early voting will continue to be accessible from any of the
designated locations, including Farragut Town Hall.
