Executive Insight: Early Voting Soon

Early voting for Tennessee’s November 3 general election begins Wednesday, October 14, and runs through October 29. We will make several important decisions. Locally, Doyle City residents will decide their next mayor, on the State level, we will vote on State Representative and Governor, and on a federal level, we will vote for our US Congress member in District 6. These and other items on the ballot are traditional, and we are familiar with them. However, voters will see three proposed amendments to the Tennessee Constitution on the ballot, each presented as a separate “yes” or “no” question. Amendments to the State Constitution come only after being passed by two-thirds of the members of both houses of the State General Assembly.

The ballot language can be difficult to follow as it is extremely lengthy. I will attempt to give a more simplistic overview of each amendment. 

Amendment 1 is in reference to Pretrial Bail. A “yes” vote would allow courts to deny bail before trial for people accused of certain serious offenses when the proof is evident, or the presumption of guilt is strong. The listed offenses include capital offenses, terrorism, second-degree murder, aggravated rape of a child, aggravated rape, grave torture, and other offenses for which a person convicted of the crime could be required to serve at least 85% of the sentence. The amendment also requires the judge or magistrate to place in the record the reasons for granting or denying bail in these cases. A “no” vote would leave the Constitution’s current bail language unchanged. 

Amendment 2 is in reference to State Property Tax. A “yes” vote would amend the Constitution to prohibit the General Assembly from levying, authorizing, or otherwise permitting a state property tax. A “no” vote would leave the current constitutional language unchanged. It would not create a state property tax, but it would leave open the possibility that one could be authorized in the future. Tennessee has not had a state property tax since 1949, making us only one of 14 states that do not. 

The thought process here would be to make Tennessee a true sales tax-dependent state. Tennessee is the fastest-growing state since 2018 in direct visitor spending and number me without a beach or casino. We currently rank 11th highest in the nation in visitor spend at $32B in direct visitor spend. This amendment would increase Tennessee's commitment to tourism, continuing to leverage our beautiful assets and attractions because a state property tax option would be unconstitutional

Amendment 3 is in reference to Crime Victim Rights. A “yes” vote would replace the Constitution’s current language on crime victims’ rights with a more detailed list. Those rights would address fair treatment, notice of and participation in criminal and juvenile proceedings, participation in parole proceedings, protection from harassment and intimidation, notification of an offender’s release or escape, restitution, and a speedy resolution of the case. The amendment also includes notice of an offender’s minimum sentence and scheduled release date, as well as consideration of a victim’s safety before certain release decisions. A “no” vote would leave the current constitutional language unchanged. 

For an amendment to become part of the Tennessee Constitution, it must receive more “yes” votes than “no” votes. It must also receive more “yes” votes than half the number of votes cast in the governor’s race. 

It is easy to skip over these abstruse, nebulous sections when you vote, as I have done myself in the past. Resources are available on the Security of States website page, so research and make an informed decision.