It's the last day to vote early in Tennessee
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Early voting ends Thursday in Tennessee. Nashville residents who still want to cast their ballots at an early voting location have until 7pm to do so.
Why it matters: This election will have far-reaching repercussions at the federal, state and local level. The outcomes of different races will affect how we move through our communities, what education policies pass through the General Assembly and who sits in the Oval Office.
By the numbers: Nearly 1.9 million Tennesseans had already cast their ballots as of Tuesday, according to the University of Florida Election Lab's early vote tracker.
- Nationwide, more than 57.5 million votes are already banked.
Zoom in: While statewide turnout is up in Tennessee compared to this point in 2020, Nashville's tally is actually a bit behind that benchmark.
- So far, 188,462 people in Davidson County have voted early. That's about 1 in 3 registered voters in the city.
Flashback: The local total at this point in 2020 was 201,898, according to the Davidson County Election Commission.
What she's saying: Lisa Quigley, who previously served as chief of staff for former U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, has analyzed the early vote returns. She tells Axios she is encouraged by the numbers so far.
- "We will have far more people voting on Election Day than we did four years ago," Quigley says, referring to COVID's influence on the early vote totals during the last presidential election. "We could still meet our record performance in 2020."
State of play: Nashville voters who want to help close that gap on Thursday can vote early at any of the city's 13 early voting locations.
Be smart: The last day of early voting is often one of the busiest, but the election commission has suggested several sites that are least likely to have long lines, including Casa Azafrán Community Center, the Goodlettsville Library and the Metro Office Building downtown.
- The busiest early voting sites so far are the library branches in Hermitage, Edmondson Pike, Bellevue and Green Hills.
The bottom line: If you can't vote Thursday, your last chance is Election Day on Tuesday, when you'll need to cast your ballot at your assigned polling place.