The voter registration deadline for the upcoming Aug. 4 election is Tuesday. Early voting will take place July 15 through July 30. Races on the August ballot include primaries for governor, U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee General Assembly and Democratic State Executive Committee. General elections will also be held that day for state judicial offices and applicable county offices. Get registration information and an election calendar on the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website.

Results from a Knoxville Bar Association member survey show strong support for retaining all five of the state's Supreme Court justices and six Eastern Section judges on the Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals. Two judges on the Court of Criminal Appeals for the Eastern Section have announced their retirement and were not included in the poll: Judge Norma McGee Ogle and Judge D. Kelly Thomas Jr. The survey, which was voluntary and not representative of a scientific sampling of KBA members, is available to voters to assist them at the polls. Read all results from the KBA.

The Shelby County Election Commission has withdrawn its lawsuit against Shelby County Government, according to Linda Phillips, administrator of elections. The withdrawal comes after the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, whose members were sued, voted to fund new voting machines for the November election. The end of the lawsuit and the upcoming purchase of new voting machines ends a years-long standoff between the majority-Democrat County Commission, which prefers hand-marked paper ballots, and the majority-Republican Election Commission, which prefers ballot-marking devices. The two bodies have clashed in public and private over which method is most cost-effective, least susceptible to hacking and easier to audit, the Commercial Appeal reports.

Former Republican state representative Sheila Butt, now a candidate for Maury County mayor, has been sued for defamation of character by another mayoral candidate, Tennessee Lookout reports. David Baker, a minister and former volunteer chaplain at the Maury County Jail, filed suit Wednesday, alleging Butt defamed him through text messages, knowing the allegations were false. Baker’s attorney submitted as evidence a screenshot of a message allegedly sent by Butt that insinuates Baker was involved in “something about fraud and a man committing suicide.” He argues that the messages damaged Baker’s reputation and standing in the community. Baker and Butt, along with former Maury County Mayor Charlie Norman, are running to replace Mayor Andy Ogles, who is running for the Fifth Congressional District seat.

Tennessee voters will decide whether to make "Right to Work" a permanent part of the state Constitution this fall, the Johnson City Press reports. Amendment 1, supported by Republican members of the General Assembly and Gov. Bill Lee, will appear on the Nov. 8 statewide ballot. Tennessee is among 27 states with a “Right to Work” law that prohibits the hiring or firing of workers “based on their membership in, affiliation with, resignation from or refusal to join or affiliate with any labor union or employee organization.” It has been the law since 1947 but some believe it should be enshrined in the state Constitution. The paper looks at the arguments for and against the ballot initiative.

Two referendums are set to appear on Aug. 4 ballots in East Ridge, allowing voters to have a say in matters relating to their city court’s system, the Chattanoogan reports. The first would allow the city manager to appoint the city court clerk instead of its current system of being elected. East Ridge City Court Clerk Patricia Cassidy says she went along with the referendum because the alternative would have been opening the position up to anyone in Hamilton County. The second measure would allow the city judge to live anywhere in Hamilton County, not just East Ridge. It also would allow a municipal judge for another city to also sit in East Ridge. Early voting will be from July 15-30 at the same locations as the May primary.

Tennessee habitually ranks as one of the lowest states in the nation for voter turnout, with fewer than 60% of the state’s voting-eligible population casting a ballot in the 2020 presidential election. What’s rarely talked about, and what could be a factor heading into the 2022 midterm elections, is the role evictions play in voting patterns. Tennessee Lookout looks into it.

Robby Starbuck will run as a write-in candidate in the August Republican primary for the open 5th Congressional District, the Nashville Post reports. Starbuck (whose real last name is Newsom) was kicked off the Republican ballot by state party leaders, who determined he was not a “bona fide” Republican because he had not voted in three of the past four Republican primaries in Tennessee. Starbuck, a music video producer and conservative media personality, moved from California to Franklin in 2019. Multiple legal challenges to his exclusion came up short prior to his filing as a write-in candidate. Wednesday was the deadline to register as a write-in candidate for the Aug. 4 primary.

The Knoxville Bar Association announced this week that it will seek its members’ input on whether they support retaining the justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court and judges on the Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals. The Appellate Court Retention Election Candidate Member Survey will be released June 13 with responses due on June 27. The KBA notes that the survey is voluntary and does not represent a scientific sampling of members. Tennesseans will vote on whether to retain these jurists on Aug. 4. The KBA says it provides feedback from lawyers to help voters assess those on the ballot and make wise choices in the elections.

Democratic candidates for governor are tallying new endorsements in their campaigns, the Nashville Post reports. In the race to take on Gov. Bill Lee, Nashville doctor Jason Martin has released a list of endorsements from 10 state lawmakers, while Memphis City Councilmember JB Smiley Jr. has won the support of Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis. In the open race to succeed state Sen. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville, candidate Charlane Oliver has secured the support of several prominent Nashville Democrats including former mayor Megan Barry, Metro Public Defender Martesha Johnson and Conexión Américas co-founder Renata Soto. Oliver will face former Metro Councilmembers Jerry Maynard and Ludye Wallace, Barry Barlow and Rossi Turner in the primary. Maynard has the backing of Gilmore, former Mayor Karl Dean, four Nashville members of the state House and a number of other current and former local officials.