Decatur County voters reminded of August 6 election date, races on ballot

Decatur County voters have a July 7 registration deadline and a Thursday, Aug. 6 ballot that will combine statewide primaries with county races. Early voting runs July 17 through Aug. 1, and anyone voting in person must show a valid photo ID.

The August ballot will include primaries for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House, along with Tennessee Senate and House contests and party executive committee races. County offices will also be on the ballot, putting local government choices in front of Decatur County residents at the same time they are choosing who will represent them in Nashville and Washington.

For voters in Parsons, Decaturville, Scotts Hill and Bath Springs, the safest move is to verify registration now and check a sample ballot before heading to the polls. The Tennessee Secretary of State directs voters to GoVoteTN for polling locations, sample ballots and election information, and the county election office can confirm where a voter should report on Election Day.

The Decatur County Election Office is at 67 S East Street in Decaturville and is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Voters who need to vote absentee should get their requests in before the July 27 deadline.

Tennessee’s photo ID law applies to both early voting and Election Day. Acceptable identification includes a driver’s license or another photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the state of Tennessee or the federal government, even if the ID is expired; college student IDs do not qualify.

The calendar leaves little room for confusion: register by July 7, vote early between July 17 and Aug. 1 if needed, request an absentee ballot by July 27 and be ready for Election Day on Aug. 6. In a county where election notices can be easy to miss, those dates determine whether a voter casts a ballot or misses the contest altogether.