Tag Archives: early

Crissy Haslam: No Longer Shy, She’s Against Obesity, for Early Education

1 Reply

Once shy about being in a public role, Haslam said she now enjoys using her position to promote early education and the importance of parental involvement, according to The Tennessean.
“I really look at this role as an opportunity to serve,” Haslam said. “I have a voice, and I want to use it in the best way I can. I started looking at the dropout rate (for high school students), and what I learned is that they were probably behind and had been behind – some as far back as the third grade.”
It is a time in a child’s education that is usually the most critical, she said.
“You learn to read in the third grade and then you read to learn, so you have to be on grade level,” Haslam said. “I learned that 46 percent of third-graders are proficient in reading and more than half are getting behind.”
Haslam said Sumner County fares a little better than the state average with 54 percent of all third graders on grade level in reading, but that still means that 46 percent are not, she said.
—
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam is teaming up with Grover, the loveable Muppet from Sesame Street, and United HealthCare to teach kids the benefits of eating healthy and getting in shape while helping them learn to love reading.
The First Lady will meet with a group of kindergartners and pre-K students at Buena Vista Enhanced Option School in Nashville on Tuesday and read to the children Sesame Street’s book “Food for Thought: Eating Well on a Budget.” The event will combine the First Lady’s mission of helping kids to be better readers and Sesame Street’s efforts to teach kids about nutritious eating. Haslam will read to the children before they engage in an interactive session on healthy food.
Tennessee is said to have an obesity rate of 30 percent.

TN Legislative Records (as early as 1793?) Go Online

Leave a reply

News release from secretary of state’s office:
Tennesseans who want to get a glimpse at the foundations of our state’s political and social history can do so with the help of a new resource from the Tennessee State Library and Archives. The Early Tennessee Legislative Records database is now online, providing an index to records from as early as 1793 through the 1840s. These papers chronicle the most important events in Tennessee history of that era, including the formation of county and boundary lines, the mustering troops for war and amendments to the state constitution.
Researchers of the Early Tennessee Legislative Records can see, for example, how the first legislative attempt to ban slavery in Tennessee was drafted and failed in 1819. Many of the documents indexed in the collection have not been seen since the original clerks folded them away at the end of the legislative sessions. Included in the records are acts, original bills, failed bills, resolutions, amendments, messages, petitions from citizens, and tally sheets showing how members voted on the issues.
During this period, the legislature dealt with matters now considered quite personal. Divorce petitions, disputes over land boundaries and requests to recognize illegitimate children all appear in the early legislative records. Genealogists and historians can learn a great deal about early Tennesseans and their lives from these files.
“This is an exciting addition to TSLA online collections, because the Early Tennessee Legislative Records are such a rich source of information about the beginning of our state,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “In addition to these records beginning with our state’s infancy, when Tennessee was merely the ‘Territory South of the River Ohio,’ TSLA also houses all the subsequent records up through the most recent General Assembly. The Legislative Records are a veritable gold mine for historians and average citizens alike.”
While the majority of the records indexed date from before 1830, newer records will be added on an ongoing basis. This is a collection that is constantly growing. The Early Tennessee Legislative Records index can be found online at phttp://tennsos.org/TSLA/rg60/

TN Early Voting Turnout Down from 2008 Record

Leave a reply

The final day of the early voting period proved to be the highest single-day turnout of the year across the state of Tennessee with more than 134,000 individuals casting their ballots Thursday, reports the News Sentinel.
The turnout of 1,456,824 voters ranks as the second-highest for early voting in state history, falling 59,207 ballots short of 2008’s presidential election total of 1,516,031 and exceeding 2004’s by more than a quarter million votes.
“I am extremely pleased with the success of early voting for this important election,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett in a statement. State officials noted that only 188 provisional ballots were used in all 95 counties as a result of voters appearing without a photo ID. Hargett urged voters who had not yet voted to do so.
“County election officials are now finalizing preparations for Election Day, and I encourage all eligible voters who have not cast their ballots yet to take advantage of the opportunity to exercise their right to vote on Tuesday,” Hargett said.

Early Voting Passes 600,000 at Halfway Mark

Leave a reply

News release from Secretary of State’s office:
Early voting in Tennessee continues to be strong the first six days. A total of 113,342 voters cast their ballots Tuesday, bringing the overall total to 604,918 leading into Wednesday, the halfway point of the early voting period.
“Counties around the state are reporting strong turnout,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “Even though the early voting numbers are high, the lines at polling places are moving quickly compared to Election Day.”
Early voting will continue through Thursday, November 1. Voters with questions regarding the locations and hours of early voting are encouraged to contact their local election commission offices.

TN Early Voting Pushed 500,000 Mark

Leave a reply

News release from Secretary of State’s Office:
Tennessee early voting continues to be strong through the first five days of early voting. A total of 103,642 voters cast their ballots Monday, bringing the overall total to 491,575 leading into the sixth day of early voting Tuesday. Tennessee has approximately 4 million registered voters.
“Voter turnout continues to exceed expectations,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “Voters continue to avoid long Election Day lines by voting early.”
Early voting will continue through Thursday, November 1. Voters with questions regarding the locations and hours of early voting are encouraged to contact their local election commission offices.

More than 121,000 Cast Ballots on 1st Day of TN Early Voting

Leave a reply

News release from Secretary of State’s office:
Tennessee voters turned in a strong showing at the polls yesterday, the first day of early voting for the November 6 election. With all 95 counties reporting, a statewide total of 121,406 voters cast their ballots yesterday.
“I am pleased with the huge turnout we have seen to begin the early voting period,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “It is my hope that as many Tennesseans as possible take advantage of the flexibility that early voting allows.”
Early voting will continue through Thursday, November 1. Voters with questions regarding the locations and hours of early voting are encouraged to contact their local election commission offices.

TN Early Voting Sets Record: 326,876

Leave a reply

News release from Secretary of State’s office:
A total of 326,876 Tennesseans voted early or absentee by mail, easily surpassing the previous high for an August election during a presidential year. The previous record – in August 2008 – was 217,441.
Early voting ended Saturday. The election will be held Thursday.
It is important to compare elections with the same or similar races on the ballot because that can affect turnout. For example, the presidential election in November is expected to have a higher turnout. Also, August elections during non-presidential years tend to have higher turnout because high profile races for county mayor and sheriff are on the ballot then.
“For the last year, our Division of Elections has conducted an unprecedented voter outreach effort,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “This campaign was launched to help educate people about Tennessee’s new photo ID law. Not only have election officials at the state and the county level done a good job in informing people about that law, but they have also raised awareness about this year’s elections. We see that reflected in these record early voting numbers.”
Voters should remember to bring a state- or federally-issued photo ID to the polls with them in order to cast ballots Thursday. A voter who does not present a state- or federally-issued photo ID at the polls will not be turned away, but will receive a provisional ballot. However, the voter will need to return to the local election commission office within two business days after the election and present a state- or federally-issued photo ID in order for the provisional ballot to be counted.
Examples of acceptable forms of ID, whether current or expired, include driver licenses, U.S. passports, Department of Safety photo ID cards, U.S. military photo IDs and other state or federal government photo ID cards. College student IDs are not acceptable.
For more information, please visit www.GoVoteTN.com or call the Division of Elections toll-free at 1-877-850-4959.

Early Voting Total Passes 2008 Level

Leave a reply

News release from Secretary of State’s office:
More than 220,000 Tennesseans have voted early or absentee by mail for the Aug. 2 election – setting a record for a comparable election. Through Wednesday, the total number of people voting early or absentee was 223,281.
For comparison, 206,174 Tennesseans voted during the entire early voting period in August 2008. There were 11,267 people who voted absentee by mail in that election.
Early voting continues through Saturday.
“Early voting numbers for comparable elections hit an all-time high – with three days to spare,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “I commend all of those Tennesseans for exercising their right to vote and I encourage all other eligible voters to either cast ballots early or come to the polls on Election Day.”
With voter turnout statistics, it is important to compare elections with the same races on the ballot. For example, the November presidential election is expected to have substantially higher turnout. Also, August elections held during presidential off-years, which include higher profile races for county mayor and sheriff, tend to have higher turnouts than August county elections during presidential years.
Voters are reminded to bring a state- or federally-issued photo ID to vote. A voter who does not present a state- or federally-issued photo ID at the polls will not be turned away, but will receive a provisional ballot. However, the voter will need to return to the election commission office within two business days after the election and present a state- or federally-issued photo ID in order for the provisional ballot to be counted.
Examples of acceptable forms of ID, whether current or expired, include driver licenses, U.S. passports, Department of Safety photo ID cards, U.S. military photo IDs and other state or federal government photo ID cards. College student IDs are not acceptable. Nowhere in the photo ID law is a city or county ID listed as an example of an acceptable ID.
For more information, please visit www.GoVoteTN.com or call the Division of Elections toll-free at 1-877-850-4959.

Wamp Banned from Campaigning at Chattanooga Mall

Leave a reply

Congressional candidate Weston Wamp spent four days asking for votes at Chattanooga’s Northgate Mall, an early voting location, reports the Chattanooga TFP. But now he’s been forbidden to continue by the Hamilton County Election Commission after complaints from 10 voters and the mall owners.
“It’s private property, and it’s been that way forever,” said Charlotte Mullis-Morgan, administrator of elections for Hamilton County.
Wamp left but later said Northgate should expect “to forego some type of property rights so the public can come and vote.”
“Consistent with that would mean candidates should be able to greet voters at the polls, which I think is mutually beneficial to the process,” Wamp said in an interview.
Most early voting locations, such as the one at the Hamilton County Election Commission, allow candidates to campaign as long as they’re 100 feet away from a polling site’s entrance, as required by state law.
But a spokeswoman for CBL & Associates Properties, the company that owns Northgate, said the 100-foot rule does not apply to the mall, citing a corporate policy that prohibits “all politicking” at CBL’s 85 regional malls.

Early Voting on Track to Surpass 2008 Levels

Leave a reply

State Election Coordinator Mark Goins tells the Chattanooga TFP that early voting totals are likely to be higher this summer than in 2008, when about 206,000 people voted early statewide.
According to the state Division of Elections website, the statewide total on Friday was 121,304 (that included 81,854 Republican primary votes and 33,918 Democratic primary votes). Those totals don’t include some counties that didn’t get their Friday vote reported to the state and had their last update on Thursday.
“You’re going to see those numbers jump substantially in the last three or four days of early voting,” Goins told the newspaper (Note: His name is misspelled in the story).