Image Credit: Washington County Election Commission & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal] –
Second In A Series Of Reports
East Tennessee Freedom is a citizen’s organization covering seven East Tennessee counties that is concerned with election purity and many other public policy issues. They set out to appoint Poll Watchers for Washington County polling places under a Tennessee code section that authorizes them to do exactly that.
The first sentence of TCA § 2-7-104 states in relevant part “(a) Each political party and any organization of citizens interested in a question on the ballot or interested in preserving the purity of elections and in guarding against abuse of the elective franchise may appoint poll watchers.”
When an inquiry was made to Washington County election officials, the management of East Tennessee Freedom immediately hit their first obstacle. Instead of being provided with Poll Watcher Appointment and Registration Forms and permitted to appoint Poll Watchers on their own accord, they report being advised to go through a political party to have Poll Watchers approved for service at Washington County polling places.
Acting on this advice, East Tennessee Freedom went through a political party to have their Poll Watchers qualified and appointed. For background on their experience in Washington County polling places, a link is provided here.
The Tennessee Conservative News (TTC) reached out to Washington County election officials on October 26, 2024, asking for written guidelines for Poll Watchers and any guidance provided to them by the Tennessee Secretary of State but did not get a response.
After an identical request was made by TTC, election officials in a neighboring county immediately provided a set of written guidelines, Poll Watcher Appointment and Registration forms, a Poll Watcher Activity Chart, and a set of Frequently Asked Questions that were published by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office, a set of documents made available to all election administrators in Tennessee.
A page from the packet of Poll Watcher information is pictured below, and a copy of the entire document is linked here.
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award & has received an accolade from the Institute For Justice for successfully lobbing the TN legislature to protect property rights. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Sounds like their election commission is infested with dimmercraps.