AthensNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Athens City Council Election 2026

3 of 5 council seats are on the ballot, with 7 candidates running. Updated Oct 5, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 11 days left

Find where to voteCheck your registration
Last day to request an absentee ballot (Oct 24): the election office's notice

These links go to official state and county election sites. Hours and rules differ by state; your election office has the final word.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Voters choose up to three of the seven candidates, and the three with the most votes win. Two council seats are not on this ballot.

Last day to request an absentee ballot · Oct 24

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

  • Governor
    15 candidates on the ballot
    • Marsha Blackburn · Republican
    • Jerri Green · Democratic
    • Misam Abidi · Independent
    • Dean Brewer · Independent
    • Ray Brown · Independent
    • David Hatley · Independent
    • Wendell Jackson · Independent
    • Charles Van Morgan · Independent
    • Eddie Lee Murphy · Independent
    • Lauren Pinkston · Independent
    • Victor L. Scoggin · Independent
    • Dave Seeman · Independent
    • Karl Knox Smithson · Independent
    • L. Webb Taylor · Independent
    • Robert C. Vick · Independent
    Official candidate list, in its order
  • U.S. Senate
    10 candidates on the ballot
    • Bill Hagerty · Republican
    • Marquita Bradshaw · Democratic
    • Tharon Chandler · Independent
    • Andrew Gerena · Independent
    • Jeremy Dean Hearn · Independent
    • Robert Jones · Independent
    • James William Macon III · Independent
    • Yoshi D. Matthews · Independent
    • David Sutman, Jr. · Independent
    • Catherine Barcel "Barcy" Whitson · Independent
    Official candidate list, in its order
  • U.S. HouseDistrict 3
  • Tennessee SenateDistrict 1
  • Tennessee House of RepresentativesDistrict 23
  • Statewide measures3 on the ballot: the state's official explanations
Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

What the next council decides

01City manager3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council fired City Manager Randall Dowling 3-2 on June 4, 2026, and an interim manager is serving until after the November election.

What's on the tableThe council seated after the election is expected to take up the permanent city manager position.

02Budget, debt and Fire Station No. 34 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council adopted the 2026-27 budget 3-2 in June 2026 and later approved a reimbursement resolution for up to $15 million in debt.

What's on the tableThe next council will oversee the 2026-27 budget, any debt issuance and construction of Fire Station No. 3.

03Downtown historic overlay2 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council postponed Ordinance 1153, which would create a downtown H-2 historic overlay district, indefinitely in April 2026.

What's on the tableThe next council will decide whether to revive the overlay or pursue other downtown preservation tools.

04Open meetings and public comment3 sourced facts

Where it standsA motion to investigate two executive sessions failed 2-3 in June 2026, and the council voted in December 2025 not to live-stream work sessions.

What's on the tableThe next council will set its own practices on executive sessions, work-session access and public comment.

05Council compensation3 sourced facts

Where it standsOrdinance 1159 setting pay for the mayor and councilmembers passed second reading 3-1 in August 2026.

What's on the tableUnder the new charter, any pay change by ordinance cannot take effect during the current term of office.

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Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. How should the council handle a city manager it is unhappy with?

  2. 2. Should the city budget include the $16,800 in employee auto allowances?

  3. 3. Should downtown Athens get a historic overlay district?

  4. 4. Should an outside party review the council's recent executive sessions?

  5. 5. Should council work sessions be live-streamed?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted10 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.

Key dates

The seat math

2 stay (not up this year): Jordan Curtis, John Duggan3 on this ballot

5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

  • The City Council has five members, elected at large in nonpartisan elections to staggered four-year terms. City of Athens
  • The Mayor and Vice-Mayor are selected from among the members of the City Council after each biennial election. City of Athens
  • The council operates under a council-manager form of government and appoints a City Manager to run day-to-day operations. City of Athens
  • Three seats are on the November 2026 ballot, with seven candidates and a vote-for-three ballot. McMinn County Election Commission

Every claim here links to its source and was checked against it before publishing. How this guide works

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