Voting in Middle Tennessee, and why it matters

The deadline to register for upcoming local elections is fast approaching — Monday, April 4 to be exact. Today’s episode is all about exercising the franchise, which a large number of Nashvillians choose not to do. Two years ago, 90,342 ballots were cast in the general election for mayor. That’s only about 21 percent of registered voters. Put another way, Mayor John Cooper was elected in 2019 with 62,440 votes — meaning that less than 10 percent of residents voted for their city’s leader. We’re joined by a panel of people working to get people registered to vote and engaging in the political process. Guests: Tristen Gaspadarek, founder of Please Vote Nashville Jimmie Garland, vice president for Middle Tennessee, Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP Pratik Dash, political director of TIRRC Votes Jeremy White, with Free Hearts