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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Closing primary elections remains a key issue for conservative voters in the state as grassroots efforts to ensure candidate choices are not diluted by the opposing party have continuously fallen on deaf ears. But a member of the GOP State Executive Committee (SEC), the governing body for the state party, is renewing the quest for only Republicans to be able to vote in Republican primary elections.
In a recent letter to the Senate State and Local Government Committee, SEC member for District 17 Terri Nicholson beseeched the lawmakers to take up legislation aimed at closing the primary elections, citing numerous requests for “transparency and integrity” in Tennessee elections from constituents and the GOP State Executive Committee alike.
“Tennessee is poised to experience rapid population growth, particularly from states such as New York, where most voters traditionally support Democrat candidates. This reality makes protecting the integrity of our local elections more critical than ever. Failing to enact party registration undermines the hard work so many of us have invested in electing conservative leadership at the local level,” she wrote.
Nicholson continued, “The Tennessee Republican Party’s State Executive Committee has repeatedly requested the implementation of party registration to strengthen the integrity of our primaries. Simply put, Republican voters should participate in Republican primaries, and Democrat voters should participate in Democrat primaries. This straightforward step would reinforce confidence in the election process. I respectfully ask that you support moving a party registration bill out of your committee and forward to the full Senate for consideration and hopefully passage.”
She concluded by offering assistance in drafting “thoughtful legislation that addresses the needs and concerns of all parties involved.”
In a 2022 poll conducted by The Tennessee Conservative, almost 98% of respondents concurred that primary elections should be closed. Furthermore, nearly the same number believed the Governor, House Speaker, and Lt. Governor should work to pass legislation to prevent Democrat crossover voting and that GOP Chair Scott Golden should be more outspoken and intentional about getting the primaries closed.
Between 2023 and 2024, three bills aimed at closing the primaries or curbing crossover voting were all killed in the committee process via secretive voice votes or placed behind the budget.
During this year’s legislative session, a closed primary bill died simply because no Senate State and Local Government Committee member would second it, meaning it was never even presented for consideration or committee vote.
As that Senate committee is not comprised of particularly conservative members, it seems likely many may again work to squash any efforts made in response to Nicholson’s petition, especially as some Republican lawmakers have admitted Democrat crossover votes keep them in office.
But some hope remains for the 2026 legislative session as one committee member, Republican Senator Adam Lowe, said his piece of legislation which did not receive a second during the 2025 session remains viable for consideration during the upcoming 2026 session.
“It didn’t have enough votes to pass out of committee. There would have been four votes for it and five against, so the good thing about not getting a second is that the bill is still alive for next year,” Lowe said at the end of the 2025 session.
“This was a campaign promise for me, so I’m going to keep bringing it back again,” Lowe affirmed. “I think we had a great bill. Step one is to get it out of committee. There’s at least one person on the committee who is open to being persuaded.”
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
4 Responses
This is an important vote and I hope that our legislature will see it as a move for ‘clarity’. They all understand that ‘primaries’ are NOT public votes, they are a ‘private’ members only for which there is no ‘Right to Vote’! I hope that all citizens understand this necessity. If the only reason to oppose is that all taxpayers are footing the bill then the parties may need to refrain from using public dollars for their primary election – afterall, INDEPENDENCE from government intrusion is what most sane citizens desire. All citizens have a right to vote in a ‘public’ General Election. If you understand that many are willing to ‘cross over’ to vote for the ‘lesser’ candidate of the opposing party, then vote for the candidate of their party or choice in a general, then you’ll understand the importance of making primaries PRIVATE. It happens way to often. If you do not support this legislative move, then maybe you are a politician somewhere in the MUSHY middle with a TON of support from voters of a different persuasion – shame on you, you are choosing power over principle.
AMEN!!
Was needed LONG ago. Guess we’ll see if lucifer’s RINO committee heads kill it again.
The people of Knoxville need to send a message to their Senator Briggs to STOP KILLING THE PRIMARY BILLS in the Senate State and Local Government committee!
Then again, the SEC does not truly care… they rejected a review for John Ragan in 2022 when he clearly showed he lost a Republican primary due to Democratic cross-over. The GOP had their favorite and Ragan was not it, partly, if not mostly, because he OPPOSED VOUCHERS. House reps were warned by House Speaker Sexton about opposing school vouchers and many lost positions due to opposing them.
It seems the SEC is just a backup for the GOP not the watch dogs they are suppose to be.