The Smith County Republican Party has called a county primary to be held March 5, 2024, the same day as the Presidential Preference Primary. The County Republican Primary will include all county offices that will be on the August 2024 General Election Ballot. The Smith CountyDemocratic Party has chosen not to have a primary for the county offices. As a result, the only Democrat candidates listed on the March ballot will be for President.
This will be somewhat different than the past county election in 2022 when both political parties decided to hold a primary, a move that was a departure from a longstanding history in Smith County of all local candidates running as an Independent and not under a party label. With the Republican Party calling a primary and the Democratic Party deciding not to have a primary, all local candidates on the August 2024 ballot will be listed either as a Republican nominee or an Independent.
While the August 2024 election is more than a year away, candidates need to be aware of a qualifying deadline that is in this 2023 calendar year. Under state law, if one party calls a primary, all candidates must qualify at the same time, including Independent candidates.
Persons interested in running for a county office in 2024 will have a qualifying deadline of Noon, December 14, 2023. The first day petitions will be available is October 16, 2023. Persons wishing to run as a Republican or Independent candidate will qualify at the same time, although Independent candidates will not have their name listed on the March primary ballot.
Independent candidates will face the March Republican winner in the August General Election.
The offices currently subject to the March primary are Assessor of Property, Road Superintendent, County Commission to fill unexpired terms in Districts 1, 3, and 6, and School Board members (Districts 1, 2, 5 and 7). Road Superintendent candidates will have an additional earlier filing due November 30, 2023 with the Tennessee Highway Officials Certification Board.
With the Republican party holding its local primary with the Presidential Preference Primary in March, the state will bear most of the cost of the election instead of the county. At the present time, city offices are exempt from primaries and will not be included in the March election. Qualifying deadlines for city elections will fall a few months later in 2024.
