The last day to register to vote on the March 6th Presidential Primary, which is February 6th, is quickly approaching.
Anyone who still needs to register to vote can do so by going by the Weakley County Election Commission, or mailing in a voter registration card by February 6th. Anyone who prefers to register to vote outside of Weakley can find their appropriate Election Commission at http://tnsos.org/elections/election_commissions.php.
Early voting for the Presidential Primary will last from February 15th -28th. Early voting for Martin, TN residents will take place at the Weakley County Election Commission in Dresden.
If you have recently moved into the county, and would like to be able to vote in Weakley County, you simply need to fill out a new voter registration card which can be mailed in or dropped off in person.
The March 6th election will serve as the Tennessee Presidential Primary. Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett announced that the Republican candidates are: Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Gary Johnson, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Charles “Buddy” Roemer, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. The lone Democrat is President Barack Obama.
Several candidates have since withdrawn their candidacy. However, their names are still expected to be on the ballot since they failed to withdraw before the withdrawal deadline in December.
Due to a law passed last year, new and previously registered voters will have to present a government-issued ID at the poll.
According to the TN Secretary of State website, the types of photo identification are limited to government-issued IDs.
Any of the following IDs may be used, even if expired:
• Tennessee drivers license with your photo,
• United States Passport,
• Photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security
• Photo ID issued by the federal or any state government,
• United States Military photo ID, or
• State-issued handgun carry permit with your photo
College student IDs and photo IDs not issued by the federal or a state government are also not acceptable.
Those exempt from this law are:
• Voters who vote absentee by mail
• Voters who are residents in a licensed nursing home or assisted living center and who vote at the facility
• Voters who are hospitalized
• Voters with a religious objection to being photographed
• Voters who are indigent and unable to obtain a photo ID without paying a fee
If you don’t bring a photo ID and you are not exempt, then you must vote with a provisional ballot. A voter then has two business days after the election to return to the county election commission office to show a valid photo ID.
If you are a registered voter and don’t have a photo ID, you can obtain a free photo ID from the Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS).
For a photo ID, each applicant must also sign an affidavit stating that he or she does not have a valid government-issued photo ID.
If you would like more information on the new voter ID law, or if you would even like to register to vote, call or visit your county election commission. You can contact the Weakley County Election Commission at 731-364-5564. The Commission is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m.
You can also visit the Tennessee Secretary of State Website at www.tn.gov/sos/election/index.htm for more information on the upcoming election.
