Tensions in heavily Republican Tennessee county after conservative takeover reflect wider battle over elections
While their success at winning office has varied, the consequences when they do are becoming apparent in places such as Sumner County, where they can wield power - such as budgeting authority - that could have implications for how elections are run.
Eight Republican commissioners were defeated in the May 2022 primary by challengers aligned with the Constitutional Republicans. That paved the way for the group to form the majority after an August general election in which less than 15% of registered voters cast ballots. A key issue that helped fuel the rise of the group were two property tax increases approved by the county commission over the past decade or so.
It was at that meeting that Mansfield, in his second term on the commission and an influential member of the Constitutional Republicans group, said two weeks of early voting, as required by state law, “just seems excessive for this county.” When a fellow commissioner said the county would soon be adding vote centers - polling places where anyone in the county can cast a ballot - Mansfield replied, “Well, we can always change that, too.
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