Leading up to this point the ads have increased with furious tenacity, the candidates have been making tours and kissing babies as part of their campaigning. It all leads up to one climactic point: Election Day.
Unfortunately, both ends of the political spectrum are slinging so much mud that it’s hard to see this election clearly.
Senatorial candidates Bob Corker, Republican, and Harold Ford Jr., Democrat, are at the frontlines of the partisan battle, working so hard to discredit one another that many Tennesseans are unsure of where these candidates stand on important issues.
“Every commercial I’ve seen has to do with what’s wrong with their opponent. I haven’t seen a single commercial yet about what they plan to do for this country,” said freshman Alex Fields.
“[The mudslinging] from both sides is disappointing because they are trying to implement partisanship, and it’s getting away from what this election should be about, which is what they are going to do for the state and the changes they are going to make to better the lives of the residents of Tennessee,” said Kris Markl, a criminal justice major.
More Tennesseans have voted early this year than any other midterm election. In the early-voting period 867,000 ballots were counted as opposed to only 580,000 in 2002.
“[The turnout] shows that people are really interested with the issues of our state. It’s encouraging,” Markl said.
This Tuesday, Nov. 7, Tennesseans will vote for a Governor, a U.S. Senator, members for the U.S. House of Representatives, and members of the Tennessee Senate and Tennessee House of Representatives as well as two amendments to the Tennessee Constitution.
The first amendment aims to define marriage as a contract between a man and a woman, outlawing all forms of gay marriage.
The amendment states, “Any policy or law or judicial interpretation, purporting to define marriage as anything other than the historical institution and legal contract between one man and one woman, is contrary to the public policy of this state and shall be void and unenforceable in Tennessee. If another state or foreign jurisdiction issues a license for persons to marry and if such marriage is prohibited in this state by the provisions of this section, then the marriage shall be void and unenforceable in this state.”
The second amendment deals with “the legislature to implement a program of tax relief for persons 65-years of age or older.” It protects citizens 65 or older from an increase in property taxes.
“I don’t want to vote for either of them,” said Mass Communications major Mandelyn Harness, referring to Corker and Ford. “They have made each other sound so bad that it’s hard to tell who’s worse.”
Candidates for governor are as follows: Phil Bredesen (D), Jim Bryson (R), George Banks (I), David Gatchell (I), Marivuana Stout Leinoff (I), Charles E. Smith (I), Howard M. Switzer (I), and Carl “Twofeathers” Whitaker (I).
U.S. Senatorial candidates are: Bob Corker (R), Harold Ford, Jr. (D), and Independents: Ed Choate, David Gatchell, Emory “Bo” Heyward, Gary Keplinger and Christopher Joseph Lugo.
The U.S. House of Representative candidates for Johnson City’s District I are: David Davis (R) Rick Trent (D), and independents: Michael Peavler, James W. Reeves, Mahmood (Michael) Sabri and Robert N. Smith.
For more information on the House candidates for other districts, as well as the Tennessee Senate and House candidates, visit the Tennessee Department of State Candidates list at http://www.state.tn.us/sos/election/cand/CandidateOfficeListNov.pdf.
For first-time voters uncertain of what to expect, video instruction on how to use Tennessee’s voting machines can be found at http://www.state.tn.us/sos/election/voting_systems/microvote.htm.

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