What to expect in Tennessee on Election Day

Tennessee offices on the ballot

Tennessee voters will elect leaders for federal, state and other offices Tuesday. The election therefore involves more than one level of government, with voters making choices about representation in separate public offices.

The federal contests will determine who represents Tennessee in the national government. State contests will select leaders serving in Tennessee government, while other contests will decide additional offices appearing on voters’ ballots. Each race is a separate choice, and the vote count for one office does not determine the outcome of another.

What the AP will monitor

The AP Decision Team will follow key facts and data points as votes are tallied. Its work will focus on the count in each race rather than treating Tennessee’s ballot as a single statewide result.

The central information on Election Day will be the votes counted in the federal, state and other contests. Because those offices are decided separately, the data for each race must be evaluated on its own. A result in one contest does not establish a result in another contest on the same ballot.

What voters should watch

As Election Day unfolds, voters can follow how the tally develops across Tennessee’s different contests. The important distinction is between votes that have been tallied and decisions the AP Decision Team makes after monitoring race-specific facts and data.

Tuesday’s election covers several layers of public office. That means Tennessee’s Election Day results will consist of individual outcomes for federal, state and other offices, not one combined verdict covering every race.