Your guide to what’s on the ballot

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Moore County voters have a few decisions to make Tuesday, and one of them could change what they pay every time they go to the store.

There's a new governor to pick, a congressional race to decide, and three questions about Tennessee's Constitution. Closer to home, voters will decide whether to raise the county's sales tax.

Before Election Day, 1,442 Moore County voters had already cast their ballots. That's nearly 26% of the county's 5,573 registered voters.

For everyone else, polls open at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, and close at 7 p.m. Mother Nature isn't offering much of an excuse to stay home, either. The forecast calls for partly sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s.

Some of the questions are long, but the choices don't have to be hard to understand. Here's what voters need to know.

• Moore County Sample Ballot

The local question: 25 cents more on $100

Moore County voters will decide whether to raise the local sales tax from 2.5% to 2.75%.

Add the state's 7% sales tax, and the total would rise from 9.5% to 9.75% on most taxable purchases.

What does that mean at the cash register? Spend $20, and the increase adds 5 cents. A $100 purchase would cost 25 cents more in tax. Spend $500, and you'd pay an extra $1.25.

Groceries work a little differently. Tennessee charges a lower state tax of 4% on most food bought at grocery stores.

Right now, those groceries are taxed at 6.5% in Moore County. If the increase passes, that rate would rise to 6.75%. That means a $100 grocery bill would carry another 25 cents in sales tax.

The higher local tax would apply to residents and visitors alike. If you shop, eat, or buy souvenirs in Moore County, you pay the tax. If you make a purchase in Shelbyville, Tullahoma, or another county, this vote would not change the tax on that purchase.

Under Tennessee law, half of countywide local sales tax money goes to schools. The rest is shared under state rules. The new money isn't promised to any one project.

The Metro Council voted 12-1 in August to put the question on the ballot.

Moore County voters have seen this before. They rejected the same quarter-cent increase twice in 2024, first in March and again in November. Tuesday, they'll get another say.

FOR means you want the total sales tax to rise to 9.75%.

AGAINST means you want it to stay at 9.5%.

Three questions about Tennessee's Constitution

Tennessee's Constitution is the state's main set of rules. It tells the government what it can do and protects the rights of the people. Voters must approve any change to those rules.

There are three proposed changes on Tuesday's ballot. Each has a YES or NO choice.

Amendment 1: Who can be held in jail before trial?

Most people charged with a crime have the right to ask for bail while they wait for trial.

Bail allows someone to leave jail before trial if they meet the court's rules.

Right now, judges can deny bail in cases that may carry the death penalty when the proof meets a high legal test.

Amendment 1 would let judges deny bail for more serious crimes. These include terrorism, second-degree murder, certain rape charges, grave torture, and other crimes that require a person to serve at least 85% of a prison sentence.

A judge could not deny bail just because someone was charged with one of these crimes. The proof would still have to meet a high legal test.

The judge would also have to explain on the court record why bail was granted or denied.

YES means judges could deny bail in more serious cases.

NO means the current rules would stay the same.

Amendment 2: Can Tennessee charge a state property tax?

Tennessee does not have a state property tax. But counties and cities can still charge property taxes.

Amendment 2 would add a rule to the Constitution that stops the state from creating its own property tax.

This would not end the property taxes Moore County collects. Your county property tax bill would not change because of this vote.

YES means the state could not charge its own property tax.

NO means the state would still have no property tax, but the Constitution would not ban one in the future.

Amendment 3: More rights for crime victims

Tennessee already gives people who have been victims of crime certain rights.

Amendment 3 would add more rights to the state Constitution.

Crime victims would have stronger rights to fair treatment and protection from threats and abuse. They could also have a greater say when a person convicted of a crime is up for parole.

Parole means someone may leave prison before serving the full sentence, but must follow certain rules.

Victims would have the right to learn the minimum prison sentence and scheduled release date. They could also ask to be told when that person is released.

Their safety, their family's safety, and the public's safety would also have to be considered before release.

The amendment would keep rights victims already have. It would also protect the legal rights of people charged with crimes.

YES means the state would add these rights to the Constitution.

NO means the current rules would stay the same.

How do the amendments pass?

Tennessee has a special rule for changing its Constitution. An amendment must get more YES votes than NO votes, and the YES votes must total more than half the votes cast in the governor's race.

If 100 people vote for governor, at least 51 must vote YES on an amendment for it to pass. Skipping an amendment won't lower the number of YES votes needed.

Who is running for office?

Voters will also choose who represents them in Nashville and Washington, D.C.

Governor

Tennessee voters will choose the person who leads state government.

Republican: Marsha Blackburn

Democrat: Jerri Green

Thirteen independent candidates are also running: Misam Abidi, Dean Brewer, Ray Brown, David Hatley, Wendell Jackson, Charles Van Morgan, Eddie Lee Murphy, Lauren Pinkston, Victor L. Scoggin, Dave Seeman, Karl Knox Smithson, L. Webb Taylor, and Robert C. Vick.

U.S. Senate

Tennessee has two seats in the U.S. Senate. One is on Tuesday's ballot.

Republican: Bill Hagerty

Democrat: Marquita Bradshaw

Eight independents are also running: Tharon Chandler, Andrew Gerena, Jeremy Dean Hearn, Robert Jones, James William Macon III, Yoshi D. Matthews, David Sutman Jr., and Catherine Barcel "Barcy" Whitson.

U.S. House – District 9

Moore County voters will see the 9th Congressional District race on their ballots.

Republican: Brent Taylor

Democrat: Justin J. Pearson

Independents: Dennis Clark and Michelle Davis Head

Tennessee House – District 62

This race decides who will represent Moore County in the Tennessee House.

Republican: Pat Marsh

Democrat: Brieanna L. Akers

Voters can also write in a candidate for these offices.

There is no Tennessee state Senate race on the ballot. Moore County's mayor, sheriff, and Metro Council races were decided in August.

Where to vote Tuesday

Moore County has five polling places. You must vote at the location assigned to your district.

• 1st District: Farris Creek Masonic Lodge, 101 Main St., Lynchburg.

• 2nd District: Moore County High School, 1502 Lynchburg Highway, Lynchburg.

• 3rd District: County Building, downstairs, 241 Main St., Lynchburg.

• 4th District: Public Library, 17 Lynchburg Highway, Lynchburg.

• 5th District: Motlow College, 6015 Ledford Mill Road, Tullahoma, Marcum Building, Rooms 105 A and B.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If you're in line when the polls close at 7 p.m., you will still be allowed to vote.

Not sure which district you're in? You can check your polling place through Tennessee's GoVoteTN website.

Don't forget your photo ID

Tennessee requires most voters to show a photo ID issued by the state or federal government. A Tennessee driver's license or U.S. passport will work. Other qualifying government-issued photo IDs may also be used.

An expired qualifying photo ID usually works. But first-time voters who registered by mail or online and have an expired ID must also bring proof of their name and address. A current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or government document can be used.

College student IDs are not accepted. Some voters qualify for exceptions to the photo ID rule.

Take your time with the ballot

You don't have to know every name on the ballot before you get to the polls. But you ought to know what you're voting on.

Some of these choices will decide who speaks for Moore County in Nashville and Washington. Others could change Tennessee's Constitution or what you pay at the register.

Take a minute. Read the questions. Check both sides of the ballot before you finish.

By Tuesday night, Moore County voters will have had their say. Then we'll see what they decided.