Early voting opened Friday, July 17 for the Aug. 6 State Primary/County General Election, giving Tipton County voters more than two weeks to cast a ballot ahead of an election that will reshape several countywide offices.

Early voting runs through Saturday, Aug. 1, according to the Tipton County Election Commission. Voters can cast a ballot at either of the county’s two early voting sites regardless of where they live in the county.

Where and when to vote early

Early voting locations are:

• Tipton County Election Commission, 113 E. Church St., Covington
• First Baptist Church Atoka, 102 Kimbrough Ave., Atoka

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Voters who miss the early voting window must vote at their assigned precinct on election day. Early voting is the only time voters may cast a ballot at a location other than their designated polling place.

Voters must bring a state- or federally issued photo ID to vote early, with exemptions for those who are indigent or have a religious objection to being photographed, according to the Election Commission.

What’s on the ballot

The Aug. 6 ballot combines a state primary, in which voters choose party nominees for state and federal races, with a county general election, in which most local offices are decided outright, according to the sample ballot published by the Tipton County Election Commission.

State Primary Election

Voters will choose between voting in the Republican Primary or the Democratic Primary.

Republican primary voters will choose among three candidates for governor — Marsha Blackburn, Monty Fritts and John Rose — and decide a contested U.S. House District 5 primary between Charlie Hatcher and Andy Ogles.

The Republican ballot also includes U.S. Senate (Bill Hagerty, unopposed), U.S. House District 8 (David Kustoff, unopposed), Tennessee House District 81 (Jason Fleming and Brett A. Giannini), State Executive Committeeman for District 32 (Lee Mills, unopposed) and State Executive Committeewoman for District 32 (Charlotte Kelley, unopposed).

Democratic primary voters will choose among five candidates for governor — Carnita Atwater, Tim Cyr, Jerri Green, Adam “Ditch” Kurtz and Kevin Lee McCants — and among five candidates for U.S. Senate — Marquita Bradshaw, Maria Brewer, Kevin Lee McCants, Civil Miller-Watkins and Diana Onyejiaka.

The Democratic ballot also includes a contested U.S. House District 5 primary among Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, Devante R. Hill, Rachel Hurley, Carrie Ann Iacomini and Chaz Molder, and a contested U.S. House District 8 primary among Dewey Gordon Bryan, Jordan D. Hinders, Heidi Kuhn and Leonard Perkins.

Gregory W. Patrick is unopposed for State Executive Committeeman for District 32, while Georgia M. Dawson and Regina Nash are on the ballot for State Executive Committeewoman. No Democratic candidate qualified for the District 81 state House seat.

County General Election

Voters do not have to declare party affiliation to vote in the following races.

On the county general ballot, most countywide offices go to Republican nominees running unopposed, including County Executive William “Billy” Daugherty, County Trustee Kristie Glass Maxwell, Sheriff Shannon Beasley and County Clerk April Fortner.

Two races are contested between a Republican nominee and an independent: Circuit Court Clerk (Shane Waits vs. Connie D. Fayne) and Register of Deeds (Stephanie A. Presley vs. Trena Jones).

Voters will also elect two county commissioners in each of the county’s nine districts.

• District 1: Independents Sheila G. Barlow and Rusty Wooten.
• District 2: Incumbents Justin Gangaware (Independent) and Michael W. Naifeh (Republican) face Republican James Hardin.
• District 3: Republicans Richard Kelley and John Anthony Mashburn. Days before the qualifying deadline, after he’d already submitted his petition, Steve Bringle was notified by the Republican Party that he could not run as a Republican and is running as an Independent, write-in candidate.
• District 4: Republicans Walker A. Adams and Jason R. Skinner.
• District 5: Republicans Randy M. Roe and Glenn Turner.
• District 6: Republicans James “Jimbo” Adkins and Michelle Smith.
• District 7: Incumbents Brad Case (Republican) and Courtney Fee (Independent) face challenger Alvis Ferrell (Republican).
• District 8: Republican Cecil G. Watson and independent James Lamont Sneed. District 9: Republican incumbents David Copeland and Jonathan G. Murphy face independent James Fields.

School board seats are up in the even-numbered districts, all unopposed: Christopher Sage, an independent, in District 2; Matt McCann, a Republican, in District 4; Audrey Eckel, a Republican, in District 6; and Mike Gill, a Republican, in District 8.

A constable will also be elected in each district. Unopposed candidates are Chris Fisher (Republican) in District 2, Reuben Miller (Republican) in District 3, Curtis Mayo (independent) in District 4, James “Shugs” Stroud (independent) in District 6, Alex Knight (independent) in District 8 and Kyle N. Smith (independent) in District 9. No candidate qualified for constable in Districts 1, 5 or 7.

The full sample ballot listing every candidate and race is available from the Tipton County Election Commission: 2026 August General Election Sample Ballot (PDF).

Voting by mail or with accessibility needs

Voters who are 60 or older, out of town during the entire early voting period and on Election Day, hospitalized or disabled, or who meet other state-defined criteria may request a by-mail absentee ballot. Written requests must reach the Election Commission by Monday, July 27, according to the commission’s notice.

Elderly voters or voters with disabilities whose polling place is inaccessible may vote early, by absentee ballot, or at the Election Commission office on Election Day; those choosing the latter option must file an affidavit at the office by July 27.

More detail on both options is available from the Election Commission: Notice for Early & Absentee Voting and Notice for Elderly Voters or Voters with Disabilities.

Need help before you vote?

Voters who are unsure of their registration status or Election Day polling location can look themselves up through the state’s voter lookup tool at tnmap.tn.gov/voterlookup. Questions about voting can also be directed to the Tipton County Election Commission at 901-476-0223 or election@tiptonco.com.