CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Early voting for the November state and federal general election begins Wednesday, Oct. 14, in Hamilton County, giving Chattanooga-area voters more than two weeks to cast ballots before Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Early voting runs through Thursday, Oct. 29. Hamilton County voters may cast a ballot at any designated early voting location in the county, not just the one closest to home.
The main site is the Election Commission Office at 700 River Terminal Road in Chattanooga, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Chris L. Ramsey Sr. Community Center at 1010 North Moore Road in Chattanooga is also open, along with the Hixson Community Center, Chestnut Hall at the Commons in Collegedale, the Harrison Center at the old Harrison Elementary and the Soddy Daisy Community Center. Those satellite sites keep hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The ballot will include three proposed constitutional amendments. Scott Allen, administrator of elections for Hamilton County, is urging voters to review the amendments before heading to the polls, since that language can take extra time to read and keeping it short in the booth helps lines move.
Voters should also verify their voter registration status and review a sample ballot ahead of time. In-person voters must present a current or expired photo ID issued by the federal government or the Tennessee state government. College student IDs and IDs issued by local governments or other states are not accepted.
In Hamilton County, the Republican primary is the effective election for most county-level offices, while city council races are nonpartisan, so the November general election centers on state and federal races and the amendments.
