The 2021 Alderman Election is over. It took about 24 hours longer than it should have, but the winners have been announced and the election commission will certify the results on November 9th.
Gabrielle Hanson was thrilled to receive the Williamson Families endorsement and won her election by a large margin.
Bev Burger ran unopposed, and we are thrilled to see her continue to represent Ward 1.
Tina Pierret did not win this time around. While she is a terrific candidate, I think she would have been helped by a stronger stance on the Brownland Farms development, which is at the forefront of Ward 2’s concerns. We hope she will decide to run again.
We congratulate our newest Franklin Aldermen and look forward to working with each of them!
VOTER TURNOUT ON THE RISE
Voter Turnout increased dramatically for this election with 12.39% of registered voters casting a ballot for Franklin Alderman. Let’s break it down further by ward:
Ward 1: 5.10% (incumbent unopposed)
Ward 2: 14.10%
Ward 3: 13.48%
Ward 4: 18.49%
Ward 1 turnout was less than half of the other three wards due to their incumbent, Bev Burger, being unopposed. Ward 4 was ON FIRE, approaching 20% turnout! For an Alderman Election, that is amazing. If you omit Ward 1, the average would become 15.35%, over double the previous 2019 turnout.
The August 2020 State Primary and County General Election reported voter turnout anywhere between 15% and 28%, depending on the precinct, which averages to 21%.
Williamson County voter turnout in November 2020 was 78.8%, with 62.2% voting Republican and 36.1% voting Democrat (2016 yielded a 71% turnout, and 2008 yielded 77%).
The Alderman Election is an off-year, standalone occurrence, and up until now, most Williamson County residents were fuzzy on what exactly an alderman does. However, We The People are waking up to the fact that ALL elections matter. It starts at the local level and affects our everyday lives locally. We conservatives can no longer afford to be asleep at the wheel. We must course correct Williamson County or find it unrecognizable very quickly.
Surely we can achieve over 20% in the next alderman race. Can we shoot for 30% in August 2022? How about 40%? We’re clearly capable of 80%. There’s no reason to think we can’t. Never underestimate what a Mom will do to ensure a future for her children. Likewise, never underestimate what a county will do to ensure the same, especially in the face of massive federal overreach and a state government that does little to curtail it.
Our Williamson Families PAC Kickoff is this week (Tuesday, 5 pm, Liberty Hall). Each District will have its own table with its district leader. We encourage you to find your district, connect with your district leader, get to know your neighbors, and get involved. That is how you increase turnout. That is how you start a movement and course correct a county! Do not underestimate your role in this! (yes, I’m talking to you!)
ELECTION INTEGRITY
3995 ballots were cast on Election Day this week. Folks, elections don’t get any smaller than this. Still, the Dominion machines managed to mess even that up, causing a county-wide kerfuffle that led to a hand recount at the Williamson County Ag Center the next day.
First off, I’m just going to verbalize what everyone is thinking: “How in the world do we still have Dominion Voting Systems in Williamson County?”
Here’s what happened: Poll watchers at three voting centers (Legacy Middle School, Franklin Christian Church, and Church of the City) reported irregularities in the vote counts. There were large discrepancies between votes counted and votes tabulated. The initial explanation is that some ballots were erroneously marked “provisional” and resulted in the numbers mismatch. In the end, a hand recount did not change the vote totals, minus a deviation of one or two votes here and there. We anxiously await an official report from Chad Gray, Administrator of Elections for Williamson County.
Of note: this is not Chad Gray’s first run-in with strange election results. READ MORE.
Have you further noticed that the hand recount has already been “memory holed” by the local media? Sweep it under the rug like it never happened. But it did happen. “Glitches” in six of 16 Dominion machines, bracketing Ward 3, resulted in a county-wide drama. Is this not America? Are we not Williamson County? Can we not manage a 3995 ballot race without “glitches” that continue to sow doubt in the integrity of our elections? Williamson Families will not memory hole what happened last week or last year.
To this point, we have said repeatedly that Williamson Families is about winning elections in order to course-correct our county. We can’t do that if the elections are not free and fair. So in that mission, expect more from us in the coming months as we help carry the torch for election integrity…right up the road to Nashville, to the Cordell Hull building, to the 7th floor and straight to Senator Jack Johnson’s office. And to Representatives Glen Casada, Brandon Ogles, and Sam Whitson. And our Williamson County Election Commission. The execution of the Franklin Alderman Election was egregious and it’s time to demand better.
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
The Williamson Families PAC is in its infancy, but growing quickly. We launched on Oct 6th, the first day of early voting for the Franklin Alderman race. Our kickoff party is this Tuesday, Nov 2nd, 5 pm, at Liberty Hall in the Factory. We have already caught the interest of local celebrities like John Rich, Clay Travis, Robby Starbuck, Grant Henry, and Michael Patrick Leahy. Our star is just rising. Not because of me…. But because of YOU. Williamson Families is nothing without The Families, the moms, dads, grandparents and citizens, that comprise it. It is a Political Action Committee Of, By, and For the Families.
And we have the bar set high for 2022! Join us.
Yours in Truth,
Robin Steenman
Chair, Williamson Families PAC