The number of Nashvillians casting a ballot on the first day of early voting has risen nearly 1400% compared to the last midterm election in 2022.
However, the 2022 midterm didn’t have an open seat for governor on the ballot. With Gov. Bill Lee at the end of his term limit, the state’s highest office is open for the first time since 2018. Compared to that election, Nashville’s first-day voter turnout actually fell by 80%. Statewide numbers have not yet been released.
Still, the governor’s race has been a big driver of early voter turnout. WPLN News asked voters in Davidson and Cheatham County what candidate they were most excited about on the first day of early voting. The most common responses were Jerri Green, the Democratic candidate for governor, or that they had voted Republican down-ballot without much excitement for any one candidate…