Partisan Primaries Will Continue in Coffee County

A resolution brought before the Coffee County Legislative Committee last month to change the county from partisan primaries has been stopped. The Coffee County Legislative Committee approved a motion recently not to send the resolution forward to the full Coffee County Commission for consideration.
A resolution creating nonpartisan county primaries would require a two-thirds vote by the full county commission in two consecutive meetings. After that requirement is met, the resolution would move forward to the state level for approval as a private act of the Tennessee General Assembly.
According to some officials, nonpartisan county elections would cost less to run. The May 2014 primary cost the county $59,250, according to Coffee County Administrator of Elections Vernita Davis. Of 31,622 registered voters at the time, only 6,083 voters participated in the primary elections. That equates to $9.74 per vote.