Tennessee voters decide Senate, governor and legislative races Tuesday

Nearly every county expected to release mail and early votes in first report

Tennessee voters will choose federal and state officeholders in Tuesday’s election, and polling places across both of the state’s time zones are coordinated to close at 8 p.m. ET, according to the Associated Press. The news service compiled the key facts and the data points its Decision Team will monitor as votes are tallied Tuesday.

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in races for U.S. Senate, governor, U.S. House, statewide ballot measures, state Senate and state House.

The first results of the night are expected to come largely from ballots cast before Election Day. Almost every Tennessee county is expected to release all or almost all of its results from mail and early in-person voting in the first report of the night, before releasing in-person Election Day results, the AP said.

The pattern reflects how Tennesseans have voted in recent cycles. About 1.7 million votes were cast in the state’s 2022 race for governor, and about 51% of all ballots in that contest were cast early or by absentee ballot. The AP’s advance vote tracker carries the latest advance-vote totals for this year.

Counting has moved quickly in recent Tennessee elections. The first results of the 2024 general election were reported starting at 8:02 p.m. ET, two minutes after polls closed, and the state reached 50% of votes reporting at 8:58 p.m. and 90% at 10:14 p.m., according to the AP.

The AP does not make projections. It declares a winner in a race only when it determines there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap.

If a race remains uncalled, the AP will continue covering newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory, while making clear that it has not declared a winner and explaining why.

Recounts in Tennessee are held only as part of a legal challenge in the courts. There are no automatic recounts, and losing candidates may not request them.

The AP may still declare a winner in a race subject to a recount if it can determine that the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.