HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — The Carroll County Election Commission formally removed Chad Barnhart from the May 5 Republican primary ballot at their meeting on Tuesday, March 3, without any discussion into the matter. Commission Chair Ron Reiter read a prepared statement before entering it into the minutes.
“Chad Barnhart’s name will not appear on the May 5, 2026 Republican primary ballot,” he read aloud. “Because the Carroll County Election Commission cannot place him on it without a court order for citizenship rights restoration.”
Administrator of Elections, Peg Hamlett called the situation “unprecedented”.
Reiter noted that the state issued the determination regarding Barnhart’s eligibility. His preliminary court hearing on the petition to restore his citizenship rights was Monday before Circuit Court Judge Brent Bradberry.
Click here to read about the situation in more detail.
May 5 Candidate List Approved
The commission approved the full candidate list for the May 5 primary.
Hamlett said that the approval is subject to any final determinations by the respective parties, which have until March 5 to make those decisions.
She spoke of the Republican Party’s involvement during this year’s race.
“The party got pretty involved in this process,” she said. “It wasn’t pretty at all.”
She said the local republican party group advocated for its candidates who were named on a list of 149 candidates the state party threatened to disqualify. She mentioned speaking with a representative of the local party about Barnhart, specifically.
“He mentioned Chad Barnhart only had two out of four primaries that he had voted in, but he was the only Republican candidate on the Republican ballot,” she said, referring to the party’s requirements for “bona fide Republican” status.
The three candidates who were named on the list — Joseph Butler, Tim Pratt, and John Austin — were listed because they had not paid their filing fees with the Tennessee Republican Party. All three have since paid the fee.
Democratic primary candidates:
Natalie McCullough Porter is running for Register of Deeds.
Jimmie Sue Staten is running for County Commissioner, District 7.
Republican primary candidates:
John Austin is running for Assessor of Property.
Brandy Boyd is running for two positions: County Commissioner District 3 and HR-B School Board Member District 16, Bruceton.
Sarah Bradberry is running again for Circuit Court Clerk.
Joseph G. Butler is running for County Mayor.
Jimmy Crossett is running for County Commissioner District 5.
Cyril Ostiguy is running for County Commissioner District 5.
Lori Dillahunty is running for County Commissioner District 7.
Madison Boyd Endres is running for County Commissioner District 6.
Eric Daniel Gonzalez is running for Hollow Rock-Bruceton Special School District Board, District 16 at Large.
Keith E. Hollowell is running for South Carroll Special School District Board Member.
Jay Phipps is running for County Commissioner District 8.
Daniel Lee Willman is running for County Commissioner District 2.
Darrell Ridgely is running for County Commissioner District 1.
Morris L. Rogers is running for County Commissioner District 4.
Sheriff’s race — Republican primary:
Timothy W. Pratt and Eric W. Sawyers are both qualified Republican candidates for Sheriff. Because two Republicans are on the primary ticket, only one will advance to the August general election.
Ballot Boxes Locked and Sealed
Commissioners locked and sealed the ballot boxes ahead of the May 5 primary.
Each box received two locks, one placed by a Republican commission member and one by a Democratic commission member , in keeping with the bipartisan oversight process.
Each seal carries a unique number for verification purposes. The ballot boxes are now officially secured and ready for the primary election.
Other Business
The commission discussed several administrative matters heading into the primary season.
Voting machine programming is scheduled to begin March 19 at 9 a.m., and poll pad updates are planned for the following Monday and Tuesday. Training for poll workers and machine technicians is expected to begin the first full week of April.
The qualifying deadline for the August primary and Clarksburg’s municipal races is Tuesday, March 10. The write-in deadline is March 16.
