Don’t forget that Early Voting is underway. You can vote at one of three early voting locations through November 3rd. The three locations are:
Don’t forget that Early Voting is underway. You can vote at one of three early voting locations through November 3rd.
The three locations are:
* Bradley County Election Commission Office
155 Broad Street NW
Cleveland, TN 37311
* Bradley Square Mall
200 Paul Huff Pkwy NW, Suite 612
(former Bath & Body Works-REAR ENTRANCE)
Cleveland, TN 37312
* Northeast Recreation Center
264 Berry Street NE
Cleveland, TN 37311
* This location will only be open Oct. 24th- 29th
Hours for early voting are Monday – Friday 9 am – 6 pm, and Saturday – 9 am – 12 pm.
As you go to the polls you will notice there are four proposed amendments to the state constitution on the ballot. The amendments will be presented as yes or no questions. A “yes” vote would amend the constitution, while a “no” vote would leave the current language in the constitution unchanged.
Election officials are warning voters that some of those amendments are lengthy and they should do their research before heading to the polls.
The first amendment on your ballot- Listed as Amendment 1 –would add a section to the Tennessee Constitution to make it illegal to deny or attempt to deny employment to a person in Tennessee for their affiliation or lack thereof with any labor union or employee organization. This is the reason this amendment is being referred to the “Right to Work” Amendment,
A “yes” vote on Amendment 1 would add the right to work to the constitution, while a “no” vote would not.
The second amendment would establish a temporary line of succession for the governor should he or she become unable to perform their duties. Currently, the State of Tennessee does not have a line of succession established. If passed, Amendment 2 would establish the Speaker of the Senate as next in command. If that position is empty, the role would go to the Speaker of the House.
A “yes” vote would establish a line of succession, while a “no” vote would leave the state without a line of succession if the governor were not able to complete their duties temporarily.
The third amendment proposal would prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude. Currently, the Tennessee Constitution states slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited “except as a punishment for a person convicted by due process of the law.” That section would be removed and replaced with “slavery and involuntary servitude are forever prohibited. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an inmate from working when the inmate has been duly convicted of a crime.”
A “yes” vote on the third amendment would remove slavery completely from the state Constitution, and a “no” vote would leave the exception.
Finally, the fourth proposed amendment would remove a section from the constitution that prohibits religious leaders from holding seats in either house of the state legislature. Although this law has not been enforced in the past, A “yes” vote would amend the constitution to allow religious leaders to hold these positions, and “no” vote would continue to prevent religious leaders from holding these offices.
For amendments to be made to the state constitution, a majority of “yes” votes must be received. Those “yes” votes must exceed 50% of the votes cast in the gubernatorial election. The amendment fails if the “yes” votes do not meet those thresholds. So, it is important that voters do not skip them on the ballot.
