CARROLL COUNTY, Tenn. — Three Carroll County candidates appeared on a list of 149 candidates statewide that the Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) moved to disqualify from the May 2026 primary ballot.
TRP Chair Scott Golden sent the letter to Mark Goins, Tennessee’s Coordinator of Elections, on February 25, saying that the candidates had not met requirements set by the party’s own bylaws.
The three Carroll County candidates named in the letter are John Austin, running for Assessor of Property; Timothy Pratt, running for Sheriff; and Joseph Butler, Carroll County Mayor seeking reelection.
Austin and Butler were flagged for failing to pay a filing fee required by the TRP, which is a separate charge from any state filing requirement.
Austin confirmed he has since paid the $250 countywide office fee and has been told he will appear on the May ballot. Butler similarly paid and said he will be on the ballot as well.
“I didn’t realize there was a deadline for it,” Butler said. He mentioned that confusion about the fee was widespread across the state.
Pratt has not responded to a request for comment.
Candidates who have not paid or successfully appealed by March 5 face removal from the ballot.
Sheriff’s Race Narrows
The Carroll County Sheriff’s race will look different on the May primary ballot than many voters may have expected.
Three Republicans had filed to seek the nomination: Joel Pate, Eric Sawyers, and Timothy Pratt.
Sawyers is clear to appear on the ballot. Pratt’s status remains unconfirmed pending the March 5 deadline.
Pate, however, will not be on the ballot.
Pate had paid his filing fee, met the party’s requirements, and qualified at the Carroll County Election Commission. By every standard, he was on the ballot.
He withdrew anyway, citing the party’s actions statewide as a factor he could not reconcile with running for public office.
“I felt it was crucial to protect my personal and professional integrity and values over a possible questionable affiliation of my name on a ballot,” Pate said.
He added that the office of sheriff, in his view, should not be a partisan one.
“Ultimately the office of sheriff has to be a bipartisan unaffiliated role with the best interest of all people a priority,” he said. “I feel I need more facts and answers before I determine my stance on these actions of the Republican Party.”
At the time of this writing, Eric Sawyers is the only confirmed Republican candidate for Carroll County Sheriff on the May 5 primary ballot.
