The August elections are over and political party frontrunners are now preparing for the November vote as preliminary voter turnout figures show a decline compared to previous years.

Statewide, voter turnout in the primary elections was at its lowest in decades; in Tennessee, fewer than 14 percent of registered voters cast their ballots in the August election.

In Montgomery County, these numbers show the same trend.

In the August elections this year, only 13,327 or 9.18% of registered voters participated in the election, the lowest percentage since 2016, when 7.81% cast their ballots.

Montgomery County recorded the highest voter turnout in the last decade in August 2014, when voter turnout in the county was 20.04%.

Since then, the numbers have steadily declined.

According to statistics released by the state of Tennessee, 19.75% of registered voters participated in the election in 2018. In 2020, the number was 17.45%, and in 2022 it dropped to 13.78%.

Voter turnout in other elections

Amanda Joslin, director of elections for Montgomery County, told The Leaf-Chronicle before the August election that they expected average voter turnout in the March primary and expected the same in August.

However, only one voter turnout was observed in the August election, which saw a decline in average voter turnout.

Only 8.11% of voters participated in the March 2024 primary election, a sharp decline from 18.90% in 2020 and 25.36% in 2016.

In the November 2022 elections for governor and the U.S. and Tennessee Houses of Representatives, voter turnout was 29.79%, compared to 47.81% in 2018.

The only election in which voter turnout appears to have increased is the US presidential election.

In 2016, 52.40% of Montgomery County voters participated in the election, in 2020 that number rose to 58.69% and the Election Commission is preparing for another increase in numbers.

“Traditionally, voter turnout is higher in November than in other elections,” Joslin said in June. “Yes, most people associate that with the presidential election, but also with the midterm elections. In 2022, we had higher voter turnout in November than in August and May.”

Registered voters

Although voter turnout has steadily declined over the past decade, the number of registered voters in Montgomery County does not reflect this.

According to election statistics from August 2, 2012, there were 97,517 registered voters in Montgomery County.

For the August 1, 2024 election, there were 145,201 registered voters in the county, an increase of 47,684.

This article originally appeared in the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Montgomery County voter turnout in August continues downward trend