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Here is an update on the special election for Tennesee House District 62, which lies just south of Nashville. The special primary election will be Thursday, August 27 and the special general election will be on Tuesday, October 13.

Blanton will not seek state House seat

Shelbyville Times-Gazette Sat, 11 Jul 2009
Citing her husband's health, Barbara Blanton has announced that she will not seek the 62nd District State House of Representatives seat in the upcoming special election. ... Pat Marsh and Bobby Scott are declared Republican candidates. On the Democratic side, Ty Cobb is a candidate for the seat...

The question is whether Tennessee bikers will have any influence on this election. That is the first step in building a biker-friendly majority in the state legislature. And without that majority, Tennessee bikers can count on keeping their universal helmet law intact and their rights off the radar.

As I mentioned in my 1st blog entry on this race, it's a great opportunity for Tennessee bikers to get one vote closer to that biker-friendly majority. That's true for any competitive race for the state legislature, and it's especially true for special elections.

What makes this race so special is that it is -- literally -- a "special election." In a nutshell, very few voters turnout for special elections. Getting out the vote (GOTV) is the name of the game, and to do that you need campaign volunteers. Bikers that help a winning candidate earn a friend for life at the state capitol.

You can also read our 2nd blog entry on this special election. And to follow up, I never got a response from any CMT/ABATE officers regarding this race. Not yet, anyway. Hopefully that will change as the election draws near.

From a practical standpoint, there's little chance that Tennessee bikers will have any influence on the outcome. Too many dots to connect. But as always, there will be future opportunities, in Tennessee as well as every other state in the USA.