Tennessee Candidates for Public Office Begin Collecting Petitions

February 7, 2022 marked the official start of Tennessee’s elections season, the day that candidates in Tennessee could pull ballot-qualifying petitions paperwork and begin collecting petitions to work towards gaining ballot access.

The Thursday, August 4, 2022 state and federal primary elections will be held for governor, U.S. House of Representatives, odd-numbered Tennessee State Senate districts and Tennessee State House of Representatives. There will also be general elections held for state judicial offices and applicable county offices.

The first day to pick up petitions was Monday, February 7, 2022. In certain cases, there may be a delay in local offices until redistricting is completed. The deadline to turn in those qualifying petitions is noon on Thursday, April 7, 2022. A candidate has until noon on Thursday, April 14, 2022 to withdraw their name from the ballot.

The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office outlines the nominating petitions requirements for governor, U.S. House of Representatives, state Senate, and state House races as:

The nominating petition must be signed by at least twenty-five (25) voters who are registered in the candidate’s house district, and the candidate. The signature of the candidate does not count towards the required twenty-five (25) signatures. Each voter who signs the petition must also supply his or her residential address as it appears on his or her voter registration records.

Primary and independent candidates must file their original nominating petition with the county election commission in their county of their residence and a certified duplicate in the county election commission office in each county wholly or partially within the house district.

A certified duplicate is a photocopy of the original petition with the words “this is a true copy of the original” signed by the person making the copy along with the copier’s name, title and date. Each of these documents must be received by the respective election commissions by the qualifying deadline. There are no government filing fees.

For candidates in a Republican primary, The Tennessee Star previously reported the Tennessee Republican Party requirements for seeking office. A candidate must first visit the TN GOP website, click on the 2022 Candidate Registration link, and fill out the forms. A candidate must must be considered a “bona fide Republican” in order to qualify to seek the Republican nomination. A “bona fide Republican” must satisfy the following, as stated in the Tennessee Republican Party bylaws, Article IX:

A. Any individual who is actively involved in the Tennessee Republican
Party, his County Republican Party, or any recognized auxiliary organization of either; and
resides and is registered to vote in said county; and either

B. Any individual who has voted in at least three (3) of the four (4) most
recent statewide Republican primary elections; or

C. Any individual who is vouched for in writing (to the satisfaction of the
decision makers defined herein) as a bona fide Republican by an officer of the TRP or a member
of the CEC, excluding SEC members, of the county and/or district where said individual
resides. The decision makers defined herein may require additional verification that said
individual is indeed a bona fide Republican.

Candidates may be required to submit a filing fee. If the office that is being sought is occupied by either a Democrat or an Independent, then the filing fee is waived. A copy of the nominating petition must also be provided.

In the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, former Trump administration State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus, former Brig. Gen. Kurt Winstead, music video director Robby Starbuck, businessman Baxter Lee, and Natisha Brooks have all publicly announced candidacy.

The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office told The Star that previously unknown candidates Geni Bachelor, Annabelle Lee, and John Michael Hurbert have pulled nominating petitions paperwork for the TN-5 Republican primary. The secretary of state’s office has said that they will be posting updates on new candidates that have pulled petitions paperwork on a weekly basis.

Williamson County elections officials have said that Omar L. Hamada has pulled elections for the 5th District Republican primary as well. Candidates are able to get their petitions paperwork from either the secretary of state or their county elections office.

Other candidates that are said to be considering entry into the race are former Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell and Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles.

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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].