Voting closed at 8 p.m. tonight for Hamilton County and state primary elections.

Election commission officials have said they expected a low turnout in today’s voting. The county’s two-week early voting period brought in 8,059 votes.

Charlotte Mullis-Morgan, chief deputy elections administrator for the Hamilton County Election Commission, estimated that 16,000 to 18,000 people would vote today.

She said this evening that projection will likely be met. “It’s been very light,” she said. At the Downtown voting precinct, 157 had reported as of 6:55 p.m., according

to precinct official Barbara Hyatte

In the running for sheriff are GOP nominee Jim Hammond, former chief deputy; Democratic nominee and County Commissioner Greg Beck; business owner and independent Jim Winters; former sheriff’s staff sergeant and independent Tim Akins; and Hamilton County Chief Ranger Fred Fuson, a write-in candidate.

Only one of the four Hamilton County Board of Education races today is uncontested, that of school board member Rhonda Thurman in District 1.

Board member Debra Matthews in District 4 faces a challenge from retired businessman Gregg Juster, and District 2 school board member Chip Baker is up against Joe Dumas, a professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

In District 7, Michael Dzik and Linda Mosley are vying for the seat being vacated by Joe Conner. Kevin Burke appears on the ballot, but he has withdrawn from the race.

Also on the ballot is a contested Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Bob Tuke, Mike Padgett, Kenneth Eaton, Leonard Ladner, Mark Clayton and Gary Davis all are hoping to run against U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., in November.

In the U.S. House race, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., is facing a challenge from Teresa Sheppard. Doug Vandagriff is running unopposed in the Democratic primary for U.S. House.

Former state Rep. Jim Vincent is hoping to unseat state Rep. Jim Cobb, R-Spring City, in the state District 31 race.

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