Story Published:
Apr 24, 2009 at 12:20 PM CST
Story Updated:
Apr 25, 2009 at 7:29 AM CST
Nancy Bowman leaves the election commission after a 17 year tenure, as an old law is invoked.
The winds of change began for the election commission with the election of a Republican majority in both houses of the state General Assembly.
The Reconstruction Era ended in 1877.
At that point, there were no republican state governments in the South—100% were Democratic.
Tennessee has had a democratic majority in her House and Senate since that time—until this last election.
With both of Tennessee’s houses now gaining a republican majority, an old law has been re-activated.
The law reads that the majority party in both houses at the state level will have the majority on the local county election commissions.
Dating back to 1877, Putnam County has had three democrats and two republicans on the election commission.
Now the county has three republicans and two democrats, again, because of the old law that says whichever party has the most people in the house and senate also gets to have the most people in the local election commission.
Two significant things happened at the Putnam County Election commission meeting at 8:30 on Thursday morning.
First, Republican Joseph Herrin was elected chairman of the local commission.
Second, the board elected Debbie Steidl to be the new Putnam County Election Administrator with her term to start immediately.
The board is now comprised of the following persons:
Joseph Herrin, Chairman (R)
Jean G. Cody (R)
Joan Ross (R)
Linda Daniel (D)
Perry Bartlett (D)
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