Davidson County Election Results 2016: Incumbents Sweep Back into State Legislature

NASHVILLE, 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.

In Davidson County, as expected, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton easily won, as did incumbent Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper.

Incumbent Republican State Sen. Steve Dickerson has declared victory over Democratic challenger Erin Coleman, who conceded just before 9 p.m. The Nashville district, which wraps the county clockwise from Bellevue around to south Nashville via Joelton and Goodlettsville, was touted by the Democratic Party as a place to make inroads into the seemingly insurmountable Republican supermajority in the General Assembly. With early voting now being reported and most of the precinct totals in, Dickerson is holding a 10 point lead.

Elsewhere, incumbents, some of which looked vulnerable based on day-of voting totals, appeared to win re-election once early voting totals were released. Voters returned Democrats Bo Mitchell, Jason Powell, Brenda Gilmore, Darren Jernigan and Republican Beth Harwell to the House. Democrats Bill Beck, Mike Stewart, John Ray Clemmons, Sherry Jones and Harold Love were unopposed. Republican Sen. Ferrell Haile, whose district includes a small strip of Davidson County, was unopposed.

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

What's On The Ballot: There are no statewide races in Tennessee, but every U.S. House seat is up. In Davidson County, the choice is between Democratic incumbent Rep. Jim Cooper and Republican nominee Stacey Ries Snyder.

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

• District 50 (Bellevue, northern and north east Davidson County): Democratic incumbent Bo Mitchell and Republican Nathan Massey.
• District 51 (Old Hickory): Democratic incumbent Bill Beck is unopposed.
• District 52 (South Nashville, Priest Lake): Democratic incumbent Mike Stewart is unopposed.
• District 53 (Antioch): Democratic incumbent Jason Powell and Republican Davette Blalock.
• District 54 (North Nashville, Bordeaux): Democratic incumbent Brenda Gilmore and Republican Robert Sawyers Sr.
• District 55 (West Nashville): Democratic incumbent John Ray Clemmons is unopposed.
• District 56 (Green Hills, Belle Meade, Oak Hill, Forest Hills): Republican incumbent Beth Harwell and Democrat Chris Moth.
• District 58 (Downtown): Democratic incumbent Harold Love is unopposed.
• District 59 (South Nashville): Democratic incumbent Sherry Jones is unopposed.
• District 60 (Donelson, Hermitage): Democratic incumbent Darren Jernigan and Republican Steve Glover.

The county has two state Senate races:

• District 20: The serpentine district which wraps the county like a boa constrictor from Bellevue to Joelton to Goodlettsville and down into Old Hickory and East Nashville making a nearly-complete circle is one of the few — if not the only — competitive state legislative race with a choice of Republican incumbent Steve Dickerson and Democrat Erin Coleman.
• District 18: Republican incumbent Ferrell Haile is unopposed in the district which includes a strip of the county bordering Wilson County.

In addition, three satellite cities have city commission elections, though all have the same number of candidates as open seats. In Belle Meade, Cathy Altenbern and Jim Hunt are seeking the two spots. In Forest Hills, Lanson James Hyde III is the only candidate running for a lone seat. In Goodlettsville, Harry Bell, Jeff Duncan and Zach Young will fill the three seats.

Problems at the Polls? Experience something that put you off while voting? Contact the Davidson County Election Commission at 615-862-8800.

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, as Justin Timberlake learned.
• 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.

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