Two More Early August Primaries - Tennessee and Hawaii

Tennessee is one of 14 states that still have open primaries. A registered voter does not have to be a member of a party to vote in that party's primary election.  http://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_elections_in_Tennessee,_2014

This year TN will elect one Senator who will fill the seat currently held by Lamar Alexander. Sen. Alexander has 8 Republican challengers in this primary. And there are 4 Democratic candidates, 10 Independent candidates, and 1 running as Tea Party.

Tennessee has 9 Congressional Districts. Currently two seats are held by Democrats and seven by Republicans. The Republican Governor, Bill Haslam, is up for re-election in November. He has 3 Republican challengers in the primary.

Tennessee is one of 34 states that allows early voting with no specific requirements on who can vote early. The state house is currently controlled by Republicans in both chambers. If you are interested in knowing which races to watch, please check out this article: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2014/07/12/10-races-to-watch-in-tennessees-august-primary/12550083/

Hawaii's primary will be interesting as it is a special election to fill the seat in the Senate that was vacated when Sen. Daniel Inouye died in 2012. At that time the Governor appointed the Lt. Governor, Brian Schatz to fill the vacancy. For a detailed history behind this special election, please see: http://ballotpedia.org/Hawaii_elections,_2014   The primary battle between Brian Schatz and Colleen Hanabusa was highlighted as one of the top five primaries to watch in 2014.  

The Hawaii legislature passed a measure to authorize online voter registration, but it has not been implemented. Hawaii has open primary system but the Democratic Party filed lawsuit in 2013 asking that it be close for this special election.

The Democratic party holds the majority in both chambers of the state legislature. There are two House districts and both seats are currently held by Democrats. The state executives are up for re-election this year and all faces primary challenges. If you are interested in learning more about races to watch in Hawaii, then please check out this site: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/07/11/4000404/hawaii-campaign-watch-this-week.html

If you are in Tennessee or Hawaii or have friends or family in those two states, be sure your vote counts. Your vote is your voice.

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