Rutherford County Election Results 2016: Trump Wins Tennessee, as Diane Black and Scott DesJarlais Sail to Re-Election

MURFREESBORO, TN —As expected, Republican nominee Donald Trump won Tennessee's 11 electoral votes, according to projections from, among others, CNN and MSNBC. As of 7:03 Central time, Trump leads Clinton 51-44 in the Electoral College as polls close across the East Coast and the Central time zone.

As expected, U.S. Reps. Diane Black and Scott DesJarlais, both Republicans, are projected to win re-election, as the pair are ahead of their Democratic challengers by double digits.

In La Vergne, the two open spots will go to Jason Cole and Calvin Jones in a four-way race. In Smyrna, it appears Tim Morrell, Racquel Peebles and Steve Sullivan will win.

While the La Vergne and Smyrna council races are still too early to call as of 8 p.m., approval of selling wine in grocery stores in La Vergne is sailing to victory.

Check back here for local and national election results as they come in.

What's On The Ballot: The top of the ticket is, of course, the presidential election. Don't like the choice between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton? Five other candidates are on the Tennessee ballot and while no minor parties have full ballot access in Tennessee — that is to say, all five are listed as independents, even if they are a party's nominee — four of the five are affiliated with a party.

• Roque De La Fuente is the nominee of both the Reform Party and his own American Delta Party.
• Gary Johnson is the nominee of the Libertarian Party.
• Alyson Kennedy is the nominee of the Socialist Workers Party.
• Farragut High graduate Mike Smith is an independent.
• Jill Stein is the nominee of the Green Party.

There are no statewide races in Tennessee, but every U.S. House seat is up. In Rutherford County, the choice is between Republican incumbent Rep. Scott DesJarlais and Democratic nominee Steven Reynolds.

Every member of the state House of Representatives is up for re-election as well. The races in Davidson County are:

• District 34 (Southwest Rutherford County): Republican Tim Rudd and Democrat Laura Bohling are seeking the seat left open by Rick Womick's retirement.
• District 37 (La Vergne, Smyrna): Republican incumbent Dawn White and Democrat Becky Goff.
• District 48 (Eastern Rutherford County): Republican incumbent Bryan Terry and Democrat Justin T. Miller.
• District 49 (Smyrna, La Vergne): Republican incumbent Mike Sparks and Democrat Brandon Thomas

The county has one state Senate race, as Republican incumbent Jim Tracy takes on Democrat Gayle Jordan.

Locally, Smyrna will elect three town council members from a slate of seven: Bradley Austin, Dennis Johnson, Tim Morrell, Bob New, Racquel Peebles, Steve Sullivan and Michelle Mastin Wesnofske.

La Vergne will elect two aldermen from a slate of four: Matt Church, Jason Cole, Calvin B. Jones and Kathy Tyson. La Vergne will also vote on allowing wine sales in grocery stores.

Problems at the Polls? Experience something that put you off while voting? Contact the Rutherford County Election Commission at 615-898-7743.

Text us your experiences by signing up for the Electionland Project. Just text ELECTIONLAND to 69866 to participate and tell us about your experience voting. We’ll find out what, if anything, went wrong in your district.

Weird Election Facts: Impress your friends and annoy your coworkers with these Tennessee election oddities:

• Unless he or she presents a treaty ratified by the U.S. Senate, a UN election monitor cannot supervise an election in Tennessee.
• Police officers cannot come within 10 feet of a polling place unless they are summoned by an election officer or if they are voting themselves. Plus, Tennessee voters have a constitutional protection against being arrested or summoned while voting or going to and from a polling place (except for cases of treason, felony and breach of peace).
• Children under 17 are expressly permitted to go into the voting booth with their parents.
• Smartphones can be used in the polling place for informational use only. No photos!
• Betting on elections is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $50 fine.
• It is also a Class C misdemeanor to "to demand that any candidate ... promise or agree in advance to support any particular individual, policy or measure, in consideration of the vote or support, financial or moral, of such person, in any election." In other words: telling someone you'll vote for them only if they support X or Y can get you 30 days in the pokey.

Image via Shutterstock