State, county officials encouraging voter registration
To encourage eligible Tennesseans to register to vote, the Secretary of State’s office is streamlining the registration process through www.govotetn.gov. The QR code pictured above may be scanned using a smartphone and takes people directly to the online voter registration process.
Subhead: September is National Voter Registration Month
By Sabrina Bates
MVP Regional News Editor
sabrina@magicvalleypublishing.com
On Nov. 8, 2022, voters in Tennessee will decide on a governor for the next four years and whether to change the Tennessee Constitution as four amendments are presented on the ballot.
In conjunction with National Voter Registration Month in September and National Voter Registration Day Sept. 20, the Secretary of State’s office is joining local election commission offices to remind citizens that their vote matters.
In August, there were 18,794 registered voters in Weakley County. According to the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, Weakley County has a population of 26,752 ages 18 and older. The county saw 4,959 of those registered turn out to cast a ballot in the most-recent election Aug. 4.
According to the Heritage Foundation, Tennessee is ranked number one in the nation in election security. Legislation in the state ensures every eligible voter’s ballot is counted only once.
The Secretary’s office works with election administrators to get high school and college students registered to vote. Last year, the Secretary’s office launched the Anne Dallas Dudley Award. Dudley was a suffragist in Tennessee who helped get the 19th Amendment of the Tennessee Constitution ratified, giving women the right to vote. This award recognizes Tennessee high schools that register at least 85 percent of eligible students to vote. In its first year, 36 high schools earned Anne Dallas Dudley Awards.
Weakley County Administrator of Elections Alex Britt works with local high schools registering eligible students to vote.
All two- and four-year colleges and universities in Tennessee are invited to participate in the Secretary of State’s 2022 Tennessee College Voter Registration Competition. Schools are welcome to compete by creating a voter registration campaign for their campus, promoting voter registration on social media and registering students to vote throughout this month.
The Secretary of State’s office also provides free lesson plans on civic engagement, created by teachers statewide, through its website, www.sos.tn.gov/civics. This fall, students are getting firsthand experience casting a ballot through the 2022 Tennessee Student Mock Election and making their voices heard in the 2022 Civics Essay Contest.
For more information on registering to vote, registration status and address changes in Weakley County, contact the election commission office at 731-364-5564 or visit the office at 135 S. Poplar St., Ste. A, Dresden, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Visit the election office online at www.govoteweakley.com.
