A sheriff race, three contested school board races and primaries for U.S. House, U.S. Senate and state legislative offices probably won’t be enough to draw a huge crowd of voters to the polls today, officials said.

“It’s absolutely not going to be a big vote at all,” said Charlotte Mullis-Morgan, chief deputy elections administrator for the Hamilton County Election Commission.

Ms. Mullis-Morgan estimated that 16,000 to 18,000 people will vote in today’s election. That’s in addition to the 8,000 or so who participated in early voting, she said.

The county has about 187,000 eligible voters, she said.

Despite the low early voting turnout, Ms. Mullis-Morgan said the opportunity is worth the expense, and that people have come to expect it.

“For those that take advantage of it, it’s good,” she said.

Ms. Mullis-Morgan, Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman John Bailes and Hamilton County Republican Party Chairwoman Connie Weathers agreed that the sheriff race probably will drive the most voters to the polls.

“It’ll be a close race,” Mr. Bailes said.

In the running for sheriff are GOP nominee Jim Hammond, former chief deputy; Democratic nominee and County Commissioner Greg Beck; business owner and independent Jim Winters; former sheriff’s staff sergeant and independent Tim Akins; and Hamilton County Chief Ranger Fred Fuson, a write-in candidate.

Ms. Mullis-Morgan said the presence of a write-in candidate in the race could slow up results this evening. Ballots with write-in votes must be counted by hand after they are run through counting machines to tally the other, computer-read votes, she said.

Ms. Weathers said it still will be difficult to get people into the voting booths today, even with the sheriff race on the ballot.

“August elections are always tough because it’s so hot,” she said.

Only one of the four Hamilton County Board of Education races today is uncontested, that of school board member Rhonda Thurman in District 1.

Debra Matthews in District 4 faces a challenge from retired businessman Gregg Juster, and District 2 school board member Chip Baker is up against Joe Dumas, a professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

In District 7, Michael Dzik and Linda Mosley are vying for the seat being vacated by Joe Conner. Kevin Burke appears on the ballot, but he has withdrawn from the race.

Also on the ballot is a contested Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Bob Tuke, Mike Padgett, Kenneth Eaton, Leonard Ladner, Mark Clayton and Gary Davis all are hoping to run against U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., in November.

In the U.S. House race, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., is facing a challenge from Teresa Sheppard. Doug Vandagriff is running unopposed in the Democratic primary for U.S. House.

Former state Rep. Jim Vincent, R-Soddy-Daisy, is hoping to unseat state Rep. Jim Cobb, R-Spring City, in the state District 31 race.

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