Deadline to Register to Vote in Republican Primary is April 6th

Early voting for the Republican County Primary will begin on Wednesday, April 15, and will continue until Thursday, April 30. The News will have more details on early voting as it approaches.

Many still don’t understand why there will only be a Republican Primary, and why there will be a primary at all for a County General Election.

A primary may be called for by either the Republican or Democrat party, with the most recent Wayne County Primary being called for by the Wayne County Democrat Party in 2024. That primary happened to coincide with the U.S. Presidential Primary. Many Wayne County voters were unaware that the Wayne County Democrat Primary was even on the ballot that year; the only county seats on the ballot were Wayne County Property Assessor and some seats on the school board, and all candidates ran as Independents (no party affiliation). Without a Primary Election, all candidates are listed on the ballot for the General Election, as they have not declared a party affiliation and are automatically listed as Independent.

The Republican Party’s Primary Election, which will be held on May 5, 2026, will only affect candidates who have declared themselves as Republicans. The Wayne County Democrat Party chose not to call for a primary this year; therefore, only a Republican Primary will be held in May. That means the ballot for the General Election will only have one Republican listed - the one who receives the most votes in the Primary Election. Candidates who do not declare a Republican Party affiliation will ALL be on the General Election ballot, listed as Independents. Choosing to run as an Independent does ensure that a candidate’s name will be on the final ballot; however, in doing so, those candidates are separating themselves from any affiliation to the two major parties. Primary Elections for Republican and Democrat candidates for county offices are very common in several other Tennessee counties.

The county offices on the ballot in the May 5, 2026 Primary Election are:

• County Executive, 4-year term

• County Commissioner Districts 1-7, 4-year term

• Trustee, 4-year term

• Sheriff, 4-year term

• Circuit Court Clerk, 4-year term

• Register of Deeds, 4-year term

• Road Superintendent, 4-year term

• School Board Members Districts 2 and 5, 4-year term

The deadline to register to vote in the Republican County Primary Election is Monday, April 6, 2026.