State, counties making it easier to register to vote

On Nov. 8, 2022, voters in Tennessee will decide on a governor for the next four years and whether to change the Tennessee Constitution as four amendments are presented on the ballot.
In conjunction with National Voter Registration Month in September and National Voter Registration Day Sept. 20, the Secretary of State’s office is joining local election commission offices to remind citizens that their vote matters.
There are 3,368 registered voters in Lake County. According to the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, Lake County has a population of 5,992 ages 18 and older. The county saw 1,599 of those registered turn out to cast a ballot in the most-recent election Aug. 4.
Michelle Morgan, Lake County administrator of elections, said she works to help eligible students and community members to register to vote.
According to the Heritage Foundation, Tennessee is ranked number one in the nation in election security. Legislation in the state ensures every eligible voter’s ballot is counted only once.
The Secretary’s office works with election administrators to get high school and college students registered to vote. Last year, the Secretary’s office launched the Anne Dallas Dudley Award. Dudley was a suffragist in Tennessee who helped get the 19th Amendment of the Tennessee Constitution ratified, giving women the right to vote. This award recognizes Tennessee high schools that register at least 85 percent of eligible students to vote. In its first year, 36 high schools earned Anne Dallas Dudley Awards.
Lake County High School earned gold-level award status for registering 100 percent of its eligible students in the previous school year. Morgan said she is once again working with the local school to get students registered to vote.
All two- and four-year colleges and universities in Tennessee are invited to participate in the Secretary of State’s 2022 Tennessee College Voter Registration Competition.
Schools are welcome to compete by creating a voter registration campaign for their campus, promoting voter registration on social media and registering students to vote throughout this month.
For more information on registering to vote, registration status and address changes in Lake County, contact the election commission office at 731-253-7521 or visit the office at 217 S. Court St., Tiptonville, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The office is closed for lunch from 12-1 p.m. daily.