The battle for the presidential nomination is heating up in Texas and Tennessee, as residents in these states are readying to make their voices heard. In the lead-up to Super Tuesday, Texans have been hitting the polls since Tuesday, February 20, with early voting underway until March 1. According to the San Antonio Report, voters in Bexar County have 42 different locations to cast their ballots early for a variety of races, including the hot-ticket contest for the 2024 Republican and Democratic primaries.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is wrapping up its early voting period today, with the state having opened the polls for early birds starting February 14. Eyeing the March 5 deadline, the last-minute voters are to get out and make their pick from a selection of eight Republican candidates vying for the nomination, as President Joe Biden stands unopposed on the Democratic ballot. Information obtained from the Tennessean details the local primaries also on the ballot, which could see several candidates running unopposed come the county general election in August.
In Texas, the state's primaries are unique in that they are open, allowing voters the flexibility to cast a ballot in either party's primary - but not both. This represents a strategic moment for candidates like former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who, according to the same report from the San Antonio Report, campaigned in San Antonio on February 16 emphasizing Texas's role in her "uphill fight for the Republican nomination."
Back in Tennessee, time is of the essence for those wanting to vote by absentee, with the February 27 deadline to request an absentee ballot fast approaching. The primary elections there will not just decide the presidential hopefuls but also have implications for several local offices, including the Davidson County assessor of property and seats on the Nashville school board. "All early voting locations will be open throughout the duration of early voting for the March 5 primary," stated the Tennessean, offering plenty of opportunities for residents to perform their civic duty.
The primary winners from both states have their sights set on the general election slated for November 5, where they will face off against other primary winners and any third-party candidates. Any candidate in Texas not securing more than 50% of the vote on Super Tuesday will have to prepare to advance to a May 28 runoff. With early voting coming to an end, the next checkpoint is the March 5 primaries, where voters will determine whose campaign moves forward and whose gets left behind.
