Busy Election Setting Up For 2006

November 3, 2005

HUNTSVILLE — The 2006 general election in Scott County is shaping up to be a busy one. Candidates will begin qualifying in January for what could be the biggest election that Scott County has seen in some time. An election with as many seats at stake as will be up for grabs in August only comes around every eight years, when nearly every county-wide office are joined by judicial seats in the Eighth Judicial District of Tennessee.

Up for election in August 2006 will be the county-wide seats of county attorney, sheriff, county trustee, county clerk, circuit court clerk, register of deeds, road superintendent and county mayor. All are four-year terms that were last up for election in 2002. Also up for election is the general sessions judge’s seat in Scott County, an eight-year term that was last up for election in 1998.

Several district seats in Scott County will also be up for election, including the four-year terms of the county commission seats in all seven districts, school board seats in the First District, Fourth District, Fifth District and Seventh District, and three seats on the Oneida Special School District Board of Education.

Eight-year terms in the Eighth Judicial District that will be up for election are the district attorney general, circuit court judge, chancellor and criminal court judge.

The already-busy ballot will be compounded by the fact that there will be no elected incumbent seeking re-election in two of the county-wide offices, which could indicate a heated race for those seats. County Mayor Dwight Murphy is expected to resign his position in December to assume duties as director at the Tennessee Technology Center in Oneida/Huntsville. County Commission will likely select someone to fill the remainder of the term. Also, there is no elected incumbent in the circuit court clerk’s office. County Commission earlier this year appointed Verda “Buddy” Cope to fill the unexpired term of the late Jan Burress.

Primaries for several state and federal legislative seats will also be held in conjunction with the August 3 general election. Those will include the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who will not seek re-election, the U.S. Representative’s seat currently held by Lincoln Davis, and the Tennessee House of Representatives’ seat held by Les Winningham.

Scott County Administrator of Elections Brenda Sexton said that her office will heavily promote early voting prior to the August 3 election.

“Early voting cuts down on wait time and it cuts down on the inconvenience for everyone,” she said.

Sexton said that the Election Commission plans to host two polling sites for early voting; one in Huntsville and one in Oneida.

The first day that nominating petitions can be issued for the August general election is January 6. The qualifying deadline will be April 6. The last day for persons to register to vote in person will be July 3. Early voting will begin on July 14 and end on July 29.

newsroom@ihoneida.com

Enjoy the Independent Herald? Have it delivered to your door! Click here for details.