Nashville, Tennessee

Tennessee's early voting period ended with 1,280,642 early and absentee ballots cast statewide, up about 45% from 2022 but roughly 7% below 2018, according to the Secretary of State. An open governor's race, newly redrawn congressional districts, and several seats without incumbents are seen as key drivers. Shelby County led the state with 183,896 voters, while Davidson County saw a 57% jump from 2022. Republicans redrew Memphis and Nashville's districts this year, dismantling the state's lone majority-Black district, prompting national Democratic investment in two contested races. Election Day polls open Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The campaign to flip Tennessee's only Democratic-held U.S. House seat was disrupted after Republican nominee and state Sen. Brent Taylor acknowledged a "past indiscretion." The admission followed a report from The Nashville Scene, an alternative weekly, alleging Taylor sent an unsolicited nude photo as recently as 2021.

The revelation introduces uncertainty into a race Republicans have targeted as a pickup opportunity, raising questions about whether the controversy will affect Taylor's standing with voters or the GOP's broader strategy in Tennessee ahead of the election.

A Nashville judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block a referendum on the future of the Nashville Fairgrounds racetrack, keeping the measure on track for a 2026 vote. The ballot question, pushed by Restore Our Fairgrounds, would amend the Metro charter to ban auto racing at the fairgrounds and prioritize affordable or workforce housing instead. The group gathered enough certified signatures to qualify. Opponents, organized as Decline to Sign, argued some signatures were invalid or added without consent, but the judge rejected that claim while noting a different type of challenge against the election commission could still proceed.

Tennessee's attorney general has sued the Tennessee Foster Care Association in Davidson County Chancery Court to enforce a $15,000 fine for soliciting donations without a valid state registration. Nonprofits soliciting donations in Tennessee must file an annual registration statement with the Secretary of State, but the association's registration lapsed at the end of 2022. The lawsuit alleges the group kept seeking donations despite repeated warnings from the state. The organization did not contest the fine but has not paid it. The state is asking the court to enforce payment and grant additional relief to the Secretary of State if warranted.

U.S. District Judge Aleta A. Trauger ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release a man held in Nashville for about 22 days without an individualized bond hearing, ruling the detention unlawful. The order came after an Oct. 9 hearing on the man's habeas corpus petition, a legal challenge to the legality of his detention. The court barred ICE from re-detaining him under the same legal authority unless all statutory and constitutional requirements are met, and had previously blocked his transfer out of Tennessee. He was ordered released by 2 p.m. Central on Oct. 10. ICE did not immediately comment.