Tipton County’s early voting turnout for the Aug. 6 primary is running far ahead of the last two comparable election cycles, and it came within a fraction of a percentage point of landing among Tennessee’s 10 fastest-growing counties, according to daily reports from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Division of Elections.
Through the first 10 days of early voting, July 17 to July 28, Tipton County recorded 4,786 ballots. That is up 2,588 votes, or 117.74%, from the same point in the 2022 primary, and up 1,610 votes, or 50.69%, from 2018.
The 2022 comparison put Tipton just behind Wilson County, whose 117.89% growth rate claimed the state’s 10th-highest percentage increase among Tennessee’s 95 counties. Tipton trailed it by 0.15 of a percentage point. Measured against 2018, Tipton fared better still, its 50.69% growth ranked seventh-highest statewide, behind only Hancock, Marion, Lincoln, Grundy, Dickson and Williamson counties.
Both parties are growing
Tipton Republicans cast 3,667 primary ballots through Day 10, up 1,859 votes, or 102.82%, from 2022, the state’s 10th-highest Republican growth rate. Compared with 2018, Republican turnout is up 1,182 votes, or 47.57%.
Tipton Democrats, a smaller share of the county’s voters, grew at roughly twice the Republican rate. Their 1,060 ballots are up 712 votes, or 204.6%, from 2022, the fourth-highest percentage increase among Tennessee counties, trailing only Sullivan, Washington and Wilson counties. Against 2018, Democratic turnout in Tipton is up 402 votes, or 61.09%, the sixth-highest growth rate in the state.
The faster Democratic growth is nudging the county’s party split, even as Tipton remains solidly Republican in its primary turnout. Republicans made up about 78% of Tipton’s primary ballots in 2018 and about 82% in 2022; this cycle, that share has eased to about 77%. Democrats made up about 21% of the primary electorate in 2018, dipped to about 16% in 2022, and have grown to about 22% this cycle.
Opening rush, then weekend lulls
Tipton’s turnout opened strong on July 17, the first day of early voting, with 768 ballots, 605 Republican and 151 Democratic, the county’s single busiest day of the 10-day stretch.
Turnout fell off on both Saturdays in the window, dropping to 254 votes on July 18 and to a stretch low of 241 on July 25. Numbers climbed back to between 440 and 587 on the weekdays in between, then eased into the second week with 441 ballots July 27 and 465 on July 28, the most recent day reported.
The state picture
Statewide, early turnout through 10 days reached 407,227 ballots, up 113,242, or 38.52%, from 2022 and up 12,944, or 3.28%, from 2018. On Day 10 alone, Tuesday, July 28, the state recorded 43,164 ballots, up 21.82% from the same day in 2022 but down 13.21% from 2018.
Statewide, Republicans cast 262,867 ballots, up 39.86% from 2022, and Democrats cast 135,475, up 54.88% from 2022. Both of Tipton’s parties outpaced their statewide counterparts by a wide margin: county Republicans grew more than 2.5 times faster than the statewide GOP rate, and county Democrats grew nearly four times faster than the statewide Democratic rate.
What’s next
Tennessee’s early voting period runs from the 20th day to the fifth day before an election. For the Aug. 6 primary, that calendar puts the final day of early voting at Saturday, Aug. 1, four more voting days beyond the period covered by this report. Paper Folds News is tracking daily county and statewide turnout at paperfoldsnews.com/votetipton, updated as new reports post from the Secretary of State’s office.
Sources
Turnout figures through July 28 come from daily reports published by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Division of Elections and reflect in-person early votes, absentee by-mail ballots and votes cast at licensed facilities. Percentage changes are calculated by the state, comparing the same point in each election cycle’s early voting period. Paper Folds News will update these figures if the state revises its totals.
