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Wlaf1450Who is paying for May’s election? Political executive committees invited to Monday’s workshop.
By Charlotte Underwood
JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- On Oct. 6, the Campbell County Commission’s Legislative Affairs Committee approved a vote to invite the executive committees of the Campbell County Republican Party and the Campbell County Democratic Party, along with all county elected officials and the county’s administrator of elections to the county commission workshop meeting on Mon., Oct. 13, 6pm, at the courthouse.
Today at 5pm, the Legislative Affairs committee will meet followed by the Budget and Finance committee at 5:30pm.
The committee members want their guests to be part of the discussion about having primaries for county offices next year and whether the county needs them. Who will be paying for the primaries is also among the questions.
According to County Commission Chairman Johnny Bruce, the parties filed paperwork earlier this year to bring back the partisan primaries for local races. The county would have to cover the cost of the primaries, according to Bruce.
“This gives us an opportunity to let those people answer those questions,” Bruce said. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-10/13/2025-6AM)
Is this meeting open to the public?
Yes
In April of this year the state passed a provision to add 8 million dollars to the states budget to reimburse the local county election commissions for the cost of having a county office primary on top of the $18,000.00 a year the state pays for the operation of the Election Commission Administration cost to help offset the annual expenses. I think the commission should enquire about how much the county will actually be reimbursed before stating the county has to pay for the primary by itself.
Should be a good follow up for the local media outlets to bring light to the subject.
Tennessee’s 2026 local county primary elections are being fully funded by the state legislature, thanks to House Bill 855 and Senate Bill 799, which was passed overwhelmingly, which allocated $8 million or 0.013% out of the state’s $59.8 billion budget, to reimburse all counties—like Campbell County—for the costs of holding these primary elections. This means Campbell County and every other county in Tennessee will have their actual primary election costs refunded/reimbursed, so there will be no negative impact on Campbell County’s bottom line or general budget for 2026. Additionally, 2028 is a national presidential election year, which also will not present financial or budgeting impacts for Campbell County, since that election’s funding is also handled at the state and federal levels. The earliest year where Campbell County might have to budget for these local primary costs again is likely 2030, assuming state funding is not provided in the future. The cost for local primaries varies by county, but Campbell County’s 2026 local primary is estimated to cost about $50,000 to $60,000. This approach was designed to ensure local governments, like Campbell County, are protected from unplanned election expenses and to promote uniformity across Tennessee for the next major election cycles.
At least we understand it Aaron.