The Best of Tennessee Announces Statewide Voter Engagement Campaign
NASHVILLE, TN (June 10, 2024)
A recently formed nonpartisan initiative aimed at lowering the temperature of Tennessee politics dropped its first ad this week.
The 30 second spot signals the start of The Best of Tennessee’s campaign to increase voter turnout in key counties for the August 1st primary election.
The organization plans to air the spot on CNN during the first presidential debate on June 27th.
The 501(c)(4) nonprofit’s educational campaign is built on the premise that general elections in Tennessee are uncompetitive.
“Only 11% of contested legislative races over the last decade were decided in the general election by less than 10 percentage points, so primaries are where the competition is,” said Chloe Akers, the organization’s Founder and CEO.
In 2022, of the 54 contested state legislative races, only 4 were decided by less than 10 percentage points.
“Almost 70% of Tennessee voters cast a ballot in the last presidential election, but the average is just 22% participating in our primaries. The result is a state legislature where most lawmakers in both parties are elected by a small minority of voters on either side,” Akers said.
The group’s paid media will be targeted to boost turnout among those who vote in most general elections but normally skip party nominating contests.
“That gap is the middle majority,” Akers said. “If we can narrow it, we can change the incentives lawmakers face and realign our representation with the priorities of the majority in each party.”
The group announced its full board of directors last week. The board features members from both sides of the aisle and all parts of the state. Together they hope to “revitalize Tennessee’s tradition of robust political competition and constructive, bipartisan governance.”
The Best of Tennessee’s voter turnout campaign will run through the summer and includes television, digital, and social media components.
