Election Day is Nov. 3

For the third and final time in 2026, Tennesseans will go to the polls, this time for a mix of state and local elections. Tuesday, Nov. 3, is commonly known nationally as the midterms, where control of the U.S. Congress is up for grabs. In Tennessee, there will be a new governor for the first time in eight years. In Mountain City, there will be at least one new alderman. Polls in Johnson County will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. In Mountain City where every vote could possibly matter, Charles "Ray" Dowell, who was appointed last year, is up for re-election and vying for those two two seats are challengers Jason Panganiban and Amelia Lopez Saltarelli. Town elections are nonpartisan, so all three are listed as independent candidates. Only Mountain City residents will be eligible to vote for town council candidates. Besides the town's election, every Johnson County ballot will be the same with statewide races, plus one countywide race. There are 15 candidates for governor. Marsha Blackburn, currently a U.S. Senator, is the Republican candidate and Jerri Green, a lawyer originally from Memphis is the Democratic candidate. Out of the 13 independent candidates, David Hatley, a businessman from Elizabethton, is polling at double digits and looks to be a spoiler. For the U.S. Senate seat, Republican Bill Hagerty is going for a second term against Democrat Marquita Bradshaw, plus eight independent candidates. For the U.S. House of Representatives District 1, Republican Diana Harshbarger defends her seat against Democrat Kristi Burke and five independent candidates. Tennessee Senate District 3 was essentially decided in the August primary as incumbent Republican Rusty Crowe is unopposed. Tennessee House of Representatives District 3 has incumbent Republican Timothy Hill facing Democrat challenger Lori Love. Johnson County Constable District 2, which didn't have enough candidates on the August ballot, is on the ballot with independent candidate Christopher Pierce unopposed. The ballot will have three state constitutional amendment questions. Amendment No. 1 would remove the right to bail for certain offenses when the "proof is evident or the presumption is great." The amendment applies to any offense where the defendant is required to serve at least 85% of the sentence. Amendment No. 2 would prohibit the Tennessee General Assembly from ever imposing a state tax on property. Tennessee already prohibits state property tax, and this legislation aims to make it more difficult for future lawmakers to change that. Amendment No. 3, also known as Marsy's Law, enacts a series of measures intended to increase the rights of victims of violent crimes. Johnson County's 10 precincts will be open on Election Day: Laurel, Cold Springs, Forge/Shouns, Trade, Neva, Dry Run, Butler, Doe, Shady and City. Nov. 3 Johnson County ballot Candidates listed in order they appear on the ballot, each race with candidates has a write-in option GOVERNOR (vote for one) Marsha Blackburn (R), Jerri Green (D), Misam Abidi (I), Dean Brewer (I), Ray Brown (I), David Hatley (I), Wendell Jackson (I), Charles Van Morgan (I), Eddie Lee Muprhy (I), Lauren Pinkston (I), Victor L. Scoggin (I), Dave Seeman (I), Karl Knox Smithson (I), L. Webb Taylor (I), Rocker C. Vick (I) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NO. 1 (vote for one) Yes or No CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NO. 1 (vote for one) Yes or No CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NO. 1 (vote for one) Yes or No U.S. SENATE (vote for one) Bill Hagerty (R), Marquita Bradshaw (D), Tharon Chandler (I), Andrew Gerena (I), Jeremy Dean Hearn (I), Robert Jones (I), James William Macon III (I), Yoshi D. Matthews (I), David Sutman, Jr. (I), Catherine Barcel "Barcy" Whitson (I) U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (vote for one) Diana Harshbarger (R), Kristi Burke (D), Joshua Ray Ashburn (I), Richard G. Baker (I), Chris Campbell (I), Billy Cody (I), Tyler Brice Mitchell McClain (I), TENNESSEE SENATE DISTRICT 3 (vote for one) Rusty Crowe (R) TENNESSEE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 3 (vote for one) Timothy Hill (R), Lori Love (D) TOWN OF MOUNTAIN CITY (vote for two) Charles "Ray" Dowell, Jason Panganiban, Amelia Lopez Saltarelli Ben Smith contributed reporting to this story.