Davis details precinct move to Korean Church
The population explosion within Farragut and west Knoxville is not a new concept.
There is, however, some newness in the adjustments that are being made by the Knox County Election Commission when election season rolls around.
One such move was made this year, as precinct 66SE was moved from its previous location at Farragut High School to Korean Church of Knoxville, located 1.6 miles away on Farlow Drive.
The decision has been a hot topic among voters across the area, and for good reason given FHS had welcomed voters in that precinct for at least a decade, according to Chris Davis, Knox County’s administrator of Elections.
Once Election Day came for the 2026 Knox County primary election, results reflected the impact.
The new voting location at the church brought in 12,547 voters, a sharp decline from the 16,464 voters that turned out to vote in the same precinct at the high school for the last mayoral election in 2022.
This came despite population growth that resulted in almost 18,000 more registered voters across the county this year as opposed to four years ago.
“It is difficult to find polling places in the southwest corner of the county, not only Farragut but south of there in the Choto area,” Davis said. “We as an Election Commission have been looking
for years because people are moving in left and right and voter registrations are continuing to go up. State law says we should try to limit the size of our precincts where practical, and Farragut High, Farragut Middle and Faith Lutheran are all ones we have targeted to try and split them up.
“Because in all three, up until this year, we had two precincts in one building each, so six precincts in three buildings. So I’ve tried to find locations to put one precinct in one location.”
The shift of one precinct from Farragut High School to another location was Davis’ first goal as a part of a widespread effort to split up the precincts that are packed into all three locations.
“Farragut High previously had two precincts, and on Election Day, especially for a big one, it gets crazy,” Davis said. “I had been looking for a place to move one of their precincts, and I had asked at least three churches out there, and they all said no. Which, that’s their right to do.
“But two years ago, the Korean Church reached out to us and said they’d love to be a polling place. At the time we really didn’t have a spot for them, but then we looked at the numbers and it made sense this year. They are giddy about it, and it seemed like a natural move. They have been a great addition.”
He emphasized the Election Commission notified all voters who were affected by the
move, sending each one a new voter registration card and a postcard detailing the adjustment.
“That confused some voters, and we had to have a conversation,” Davis said. “If you
want to vote early, please do because it’s so much easier. But I know people are Election Day diehards, too, so we try
to accommodate them as best we can.”
Davis said they are still actively looking to move one of the Faith Lutheran precincts to a different location to accommodate voters who live southward.
“Because that’s basically all your voters south of Farragut,” he said. “And if you go south of Farragut, there’s a YMCA and a development there in Choto with a tiny fire station. But if there’s another public building out there of any size that would host voting, I am not aware of it.”
He added, too, that he wants to shift one of the Farragut Middle School precincts from FMS to the new Farragut Area Elementary School on Boring Road when it opens in 2027.
“We’re not done yet; but absent an emergency, we are done splitting them up for this year,” he said. “It made sense; it was easy; and all my initial reports from Election Day were all extremely positive from voters who went to the Korean Church. The workers loved it too, and a couple members of their congregation work for us now; they were so excited.”
“So many people have moved into Farragut, and it’s a desirable place to live,” he added. “Ultimately, this is for the convenience of the voter, making it a little easier to get in and out on Election Day. And if people don’t like a polling place, the answer is to go early vote. You’ve got 14 days, and it’s really convenient.”
