Primary Elections for County Commission

As we move closer to the 2010 county elections in Tennessee, I have been asked how many counties in Tennessee hold primary elections for the position of county commissioner. While municipal elections in Tennessee are by law non-partisan, the decision of whether or not to conduct primary elections for county offices is up to the individual county executive committees of the political parties. A clear majority of counties in Tennessee do not hold a primary election for the office of county commissioner. In 2006, 57 counties held no primary. For 2010, 58 counties are not holding a primary election for the office. There are 24 counties that hold both Democratic and Republican primaries for county commission. Six counties hold a Democratic primary only and seven hold a Republican primary only. From 2006, to 2010 there have been only marginal changes to this practice. For a larger view of the chart, click on the image.