Listen "Voting in Middle Tennessee, and why it matters"
Episode Synopsis
The deadline to register for upcoming local elections is fast approaching — Monday, April 4 to be exact. Today’s episode is all about exercising the franchise, which a large number of Nashvillians choose not to do.
Two years ago, 90,342 ballots were cast in the general election for mayor. That’s only about 21 percent of registered voters. Put another way, Mayor John Cooper was elected in 2019 with 62,440 votes — meaning that less than 10 percent of residents voted for their city’s leader.
We’re joined by a panel of people working to get people registered to vote and engaging in the political process.
Guests:
Tristen Gaspadarek, founder of Please Vote Nashville
Jimmie Garland, vice president for Middle Tennessee, Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP
Pratik Dash, political director of TIRRC Votes
Jeremy White, with Free Hearts
More episodes of the podcast This Is Nashville
Ask the Mayor: East Bank development, downtown library closure, racing at The Fairgrounds and more
07/01/2026
The best of 2025...features
31/12/2025
The best of...The Roundabout
30/12/2025
Our most fascinating interviews from 2025
29/12/2025
Middle Tennessee in memoriam, 2025
18/12/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.