Amid a multitude of signs for city council seats, state legislature seats and presidential candidates, Veterans Plaza was a beehive of activity Saturday morning. The crisp autumn air did not deter voters from turning out for the Early Voting Rally. The line was already out the door at the Election Commission by 10 a.m., yet people continued filling the parking lot to take their places in line and wait their turn at the ballot machines inside.

The Early Voting Rally was sponsored by the Montgomery County Democratic Party. MCDP chairman Gene Lewis greeted the assembly and thanked them for coming out to the rally and to vote. He led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance,  then introduced State Rep. Joe Pitts, who also commended the crowd for coming out and thanked the voters for supporting him in his past election effort. He urged voters to take this election seriously and encourage everyone they know to vote. He then introduced Senator Thelma Harper.

Harper thanked the crowd for coming out and urged them to support candidates who value their word, who are committed to the promises and pledges they make. She said her support for Tim Barnes was not about one man not getting to keep a title in the Senate. She told them that the state Democratic Party had a plan of action which would benefit the working class citizens of this state but had been blocked from implementing it because one member had comprised her party integrity and supported the opposing party. She urged the crowd to keep that in mind when they vote. Personal integrity is important in the Tennessee Senate, she said,  urging voters to give Tim Barnes their support and move Tennessee forward in these troubled times.

Senator Beverly Marrero, of Memphis, also stumped the crowd for Tim Barnes. She spoke to the matter of personal integrity in a state senator’s commitment to keep their word. She reiterated that because of a single vote change the state Democratic Party program of legislation in the Senate had ground to a halt. All efforts were blocked by the opposing party with the support of that one party vote and that had hurt the working class people of Tennessee. She asked that voters give their support to Tim Barnes so that the party could once again, go to work for the people of Tennessee.

Introduced by Rep. Pitts as “The Man of the Hour,” Tim Barnes addressed the rally. Signs and cheers erupted as he took the stage. He thanked the crowd for their enthusiastic welcome and said he was both grateful for and humbled by it. He stated that his was not a campaign of dirty tricks, deception, misinformation nor lies. His desire to serve the people of the 22nd District was an honest one, without an agenda of higher office. He told his listeners he would be proud to be “Your Senator.”

“The people of District 22 need someone who will fight for them, their concerns and their party.”Barnes  pledged to work in a bi-partisan spirit but that does not mean betraying the party of the people who elected him.

MCDP chairman Lewis encouraged voters to support the Democratic Party ticket, vote for City Council candidates, vote for Joe Pitts, State Representative District 67; Tim Barnes for State Senate District 22; Randy Morris for US House District 7; Bob Tuke for US Senate and Barack Obama for President of the United States. Asking the crowd if they were ready to vote, he  received a strong response: “Ready to Go!”

With that, the crowd proceeded to the Election Commission and joined the line snaking around the plaza. Through out the rally members of the Women Veterans Association served refreshments to the crowd. In less than twenty-five minutes, a line of voters that had stretched past the Veterans Service Office, on towards the County Trustee’s Office, had been processed and new arrivals had taken their place. The voting process itself is fairly quick and the waiting period goes swiftly. Many rally attendants, after having voted, took up signs, gave cheers and beat the Caribbean drums set up to encourage campaign workers and the waiting crowd.

Early voting continues til October 30, including next weekend as well. All registered voters are encouraged to exercise this most special of American rights. Vote. Early Vote.

It’s what REAL patriots do.

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Delegates gather for the convention.

In a crowded room at the Riverview Inn, the controversial September 13 decision of Tennessee State Democratic Party Executive Committee to invalidate the August Primary election was carried out via a tri-county democratic convention convened to decide which of two candidates appear on the November ballot.  In this special called convention, sixty-five county delegates decided the Democratic Party nominee of State Senate District 22 for the November ballot. With a roll call vote, 61 delegates pledged their vote to challenger Atty. Tim Barnes, with four votes going to incumbent State Senator Kurita.

Approved delegates from Cheatham, Houston and Montgomery counties totaled eighty-two. The sixty-five credentialed delegates in attendance satisfied the requirement for a quorum. Senator Rosalind Kurita, herself a delegate, did not attend the proceedings. Tim Barnes, also a delegate, did. The standing-room only proceedings were convened on time (at 7:30 p.m.), orderly, and without outbursts or protests being voiced. There was a rotating silent protest just outside the hotel as a single protester held a sign objecting to the convention. A half dozen television cameras and numerous media photographers were present to document this breaking news story.

Guidelines declared.

Gene Lewis, Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman, opened the proceedings. Martha Brooke Perry, Cheatham County Party chair, led the Pledge of Allegiance. Chaplain Charles Moreland gave the opening prayer, reading the familiar Prayer of St. Francis, classic prayer for “peace”, apt in the face of the controversy that has surrounded this race. The credentials committee chairperson confirmed delegate attendance count as 65 and declared a quorum was present.

Grant Phillips, General Counsel to the Tennessee Democratic Party, then addressed the convention, summarizing events that  led to the call for this convention. Chairman Lewis declared the sole purpose of the convention was to select a Democratic Party nominee for the November ballot. No discussion of the primary, the special executive committee hearing or personal attacks would be permitted. Outbursts and unruly conduct would result in those persons being escorted from the gathering. With that, the floor was opened to receive nominations.

The nominations and the vote.

Linda Swindell, a Cheatham County voter, nominated Senator Rosalind Kurita (at right), accompanying that nomination with a statement that voters “lost their right to have their votes counted.” Ricky Wallace nominated Attorney Tim Barnes without comment.  Nominations were closed. While this process allowed for additional nominations of any candidate meeting state requirement, no other nominations were put forth.

Each nominee was allowed five minutes in which to address the delegates. Nominee incumbent Senator Kurita did not attend the proceedings and was unavailable to make a presentation; she had indicated she would not attend since she believed party delegates had “already made up their minds.”

Tim Barnes was present and addressed the delegates. He spoke of being tired, tired of scurrilous attacks on his character, his profession and the people of District 22. He stressed that his focus remains on helping the people of the district. With the everyday stress of high gasoline prices, mortgage and banking uncertainty, unaffordable health care and underfunded education, he said there was no time for character assassination. He had no personal agenda or advancement goals to exploit. He further said he would be proud to be the nominee for District 22 on the November ballot.

With the conclusion of his address, a roll call vote was conducted. With a 61 to 4 vote tally, the convention chose Barnes to be the Democratic Party nominee on the November ballot. The convention adjourned after the vote tally was declared. A press conference in the hotel lobby was held.

Supporters celebrate and Barnes gives thanks.

Tim Barnes supporters gathered in the lobby to cheer their candidate’s selection. With shouts of “Time for Tim!,” Barnes made his way to the rostrum, shaking hands and receiving congratulations along the way. He thanked his supporters for their steadfastness. He also thanked his wife and children for enduring the chaotic atmosphere of the past seven months. He said he was humbled by the vote and would not take this selection lightly. He is proud of his campaign, stating that it proves taking the high road can be successful. He never practiced negativism and focused instead on the concerns of working families, the people of District 22.

Barnes reiterated his reasons for pursuing the nomination: to help working families. Responding to media questions of whether Senator Kurita would mounting a write-in campaign, he said he understands she is angry but deferred the question to the state Democratic Party. When asked about possible voter backlash to the way he has won the nomination, he answered no and again deferred any further consideration on the subject to party officials.  He stated that his goal is to help the people as they struggle to make ends meet. When asked about crossover Republican voters, Barnes said there has always been been crossover voting. It becomes harmful “when it is a concerted effort to subvert the democratic process.” He acknowledged having Republican friends and welcomed any Republicans who would choose to support him with their vote.

Barnes said he would renew his campaign efforts for the people’s vote in November. He again thanked all the volunteers who have given selflessly of their their time and efforts on his behalf and asked them to continue and gear up for the next push to the November election.

It was a tough loss for both Kurita and her constituents, who favored her stand on issues including the environment and women’s issues, among other concerns. Outside the Inn, several people protested the not only the decision but the process, with duct tape over their mouths as a symbol of their vote for Kurita being silenced.

Kurita, as many voters have speculated, is planning a write-in campaign for the for the November 4 election. Barnes, who at one point on primary night thought he had won the election only to find minutes later he lost by 19 votes, challenged that original election, an action that last Saturday resulted in eight hours of testimony and the invalidation of the primary race by the Democratic State Executive Committee.

Ironically, for all the controversy this process incurred, the primary race attracted less than 12% of registered voters, hardly a mandate. Kurita won that by 19 votes. Barnes challenges the election results, calling for a recount,, which, with voting machines, only repeats the totals, not the votes. In another bit of irony, the current electronic voting system in Montgomery County will be replaced by a verifiable voting system — but not until after the presidential election in November. Barne’s challenge to the election was not only the close vote but other alleged irregularities at county polling places.

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