LOCAL RECORDS · GOVERNMENT & ELECTIONS · TENNESSEE
Bedford County, TN elections and election results
Official dates, local returns and the records you need to check your ballot in Bedford County and Shelbyville.
Elections & results at a glance
The next published election is November 3, 2026. Bedford’s early voting runs October 14–29. The October 5 registration deadline has passed. The August county return records Curt Cobb winning the mayor’s race and Nikia Elliott winning sheriff; November results do not yet exist.
Next election: November 3, 2026
November 3, 2026 is the next general election in the county’s published calendar. Early voting is October 14–29. The county also publishes November municipal sample ballots for Shelbyville, Normandy and Wartrace. This page was checked October 7, 2026, before early voting began.
| Date / time | Officially published event | What voters should check |
|---|---|---|
| October 5, 2026 — passed | Registration deadline for the November election | Check existing registration through GoVoteTN; this is not an October 7 registration invitation. |
| October 14–29 | Early voting; weekdays 8 a.m.–5 p.m. | Election Commission office, 100 Public Square West, basement, Shelbyville. |
| October 17 and 24 | Saturday early voting, 8 a.m.–noon | The notice lists no Sunday early voting. |
| October 24 | Deadline for the office to receive an absentee-ballot request | This is the request deadline, not a ballot-return deadline. Check eligibility and return instructions with the commission. |
| November 3 | Election Day, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. local time | Vote at your assigned precinct; confirm the current location before leaving. |
Sources: Bedford’s November early-voting notice and 2026 key-dates calendar. The notice is the relevant November record; a stray reference to “August” alongside an October absentee deadline on the county webpage should not override the dated notice and calendar.
Use GoVoteTN voter lookup, the county election page and the Election Commission at 931-684-0531, 100 Public Square West, basement, Shelbyville, TN 37160. Office hours and voter eligibility requirements should be confirmed with election officials. This guide does not collect voter information.
Sample ballots, candidates and the District 9 change
Read the official November state/federal sample ballot and Shelbyville municipal sample ballot. The Election Commission page links the Normandy and Wartrace ballots and additional voter/candidate resources. A municipal contest appears only on eligible voters’ ballots.
The federal sample lists U.S. House District 9, with Brent Taylor (Republican), Justin J. Pearson (Democratic), Dennis Clark (Independent) and Michelle Davies Head (Independent), plus write-in space. See PDF page 4, printed page 8. It also lists the U.S. Senate and Tennessee House District 62 contests. Read the entire ballot for governor and the proposed constitutional amendments; this is not a complete candidate transcription.
Do not reuse the 2024 District 4 ballot as a 2026 voter guide. The county’s election page flags the congressional redistricting. Our government directory separately identifies current-term representation. No candidate is labeled a November winner.
For qualifying papers, filing questions, campaign-finance resources or later ballot corrections, begin with the county Election Commission and its linked Tennessee election resources. A campaign announcement does not establish ballot qualification.
August 6, 2026 county general-election results
The following are selected Bedford County returns, transcribed from the county-published report dated August 13, 2026. They are vote totals for the named contest, not countywide turnout. The county result library is the authoritative starting point for the complete return and later corrections.
| Contest | Candidate totals / recorded winner | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| County mayor | Curt Cobb 4,027; Chad Fletcher 2,232; Troy K. Thompson 2,154; Misty Pellar 306; Adam Vanderkin 232; Jordan Malone 159 | Cobb led; 9,110 votes in this contest. |
| Sheriff | Nikia Elliott 6,046; John Dale Sweeney 3,170 | Elliott led; 9,216 contest votes. |
| Trustee | Tonya Davis 7,105; Samantha Mallard 1,813 | Davis led; 8,918 contest votes. |
| Assessor, unexpired term | Emily Redd Hodges 6,939 | Winner; see full return for all candidates. |
| Circuit Court Clerk | Michelle Murray 7,956 | Unopposed in the published return. |
| County Clerk | Donna Thomas 6,952; Wendy Williams 1,618 | Thomas led; 8,570 contest votes. |
| Register of Deeds | Johnny Reed 7,224 | Unopposed in the published return. |
| School Board Districts 2, 3, 4 and 7 | Brian Crews 1,075; Dan Reed 838; Lana R. Craig 993; Barton Williams 567 | Separate district races; each unopposed in this return. |
Source: August 6 county general-election return, PDF pages 1–4. The commission guide gives the resulting September 1 district roster. Two commissioners are elected per district; adding their votes would not count individual voters. The official results archive also links May county-primary and August state-primary reports.
November 5, 2024 major-election results in Bedford County
These figures are the Bedford County portion of each contest in the county’s report dated November 13, 2024. They are not statewide or entire congressional-district totals.
| Contest | Leading listed candidates in Bedford County | All votes in that contest |
|---|---|---|
| President | Donald Trump / JD Vance 15,772; Kamala Harris / Tim Walz 4,122; other candidates 196 | 20,090 |
| U.S. Senate | Marsha Blackburn 15,098; Gloria Johnson 4,067; other candidates 415 | 19,580 |
| U.S. House, then District 4 | Scott DesJarlais 14,358; Victoria Isabel Broderick 3,478; other candidates 525 | 18,361 |
| Tennessee Senate District 14 | Shane Reeves 14,727; E. R. Smith 3,362 | 18,089 |
| Tennessee House District 62 | Pat Marsh 16,889; unopposed in the return | 16,889 |
Source: November 5, 2024 official county return, PDF pages 1–2. Differences between contest totals can reflect voters skipping a race or other ballot accounting. They should not be interpreted as missing ballots from these figures alone.
Turnout: what is and is not verified
A countywide turnout percentage is not independently verified in this edition for August 2026 or November 2024. The state turnout-report host returned an access error during this review; the reviewed county contest summaries did not establish a matched ballots-cast total and registered-voter denominator.
The 20,090 figure above counts votes recorded in Bedford’s 2024 presidential contest. The 9,110 figure counts votes in the August 2026 mayoral contest. Neither is presented as the number of people who voted in the whole election.
For a defensible turnout rate, obtain the Election Commission’s total ballots cast and the registration count used for that same election. Record whether the denominator includes inactive registrations and whether provisional or other late-counted ballots are included. Check the official results archive for additions; this page will add a percentage only when the underlying official figures are available.
County districts, precincts and Shelbyville wards
Bedford has nine county commission districts, with two commissioners per district. The school board roster lists nine district representatives. The official precinct sheet lists 11 polling locations, so “district” and “precinct” are not synonyms.
| Precinct code | Location named on the county sheet |
|---|---|
| 101 | Wartrace Baptist Church |
| 102 | Webb School gym, Bell Buckle |
| 203 | Agriculture Center |
| 303 | Community Elementary School gym, Unionville |
| 403 | Bedford / WBTS Community Club |
| 502 | Flat Creek Community Center |
| 505 | Normandy First Baptist Church |
| 601 | East Side School |
| 701 | Deery Eakin School gym |
| 801 | Thomas Magnet School gym |
| 902 | South Side School gym |
Use the official precinct-location sheet for street addresses and GoVoteTN for your assigned location. The county district-map page also links Shelbyville ward maps. A child’s attendance zone, a municipal ward and a congressional district may have different boundaries. Do not choose a polling place solely because it is the nearest school.
Find the officeholders elected through these boundaries in the government directory, commission guide and school-board guide.
Frequently asked questions
When is Bedford County’s next election?
The county publishes November 3, 2026 as the next general election. Its November notice lists Election Day polling from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time.
When is early voting in Bedford County for November 2026?
October 14–29 at the Election Commission office. Published hours are weekdays 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturdays October 17 and 24 from 8 a.m.–noon.
Who won Bedford County’s August 2026 mayor and sheriff races?
The county-published return records Curt Cobb with 4,027 votes for mayor and Nikia Elliott with 6,046 for sheriff, the leading totals in those races.
Are November 2026 results available?
No. November 3 is after this guide’s October 7, 2026 research cutoff. Candidate names and sample ballots are not election results.
Is the presidential vote total the same as voter turnout?
No. A contest total counts votes in that race. Election turnout requires an official ballots-cast total and a clearly defined registration denominator.
Authoritative source and document library
Reviewed for the October 7, 2026 edition. Document dates are retained where available; an agenda, adopted decision and completed project establish different facts. PDF links open at the issuing source.
- Bedford County Election Commission — notices and voter resources
- November 2026 early-voting notice (PDF)
- 2026 election key-dates calendar (PDF)
- November 3, 2026 state/federal sample ballot (PDF)
- Shelbyville November 2026 municipal sample ballot (PDF)
- Official county election-results archive
- August 6, 2026 county return (PDF; report dated August 13)
- November 5, 2024 county return (PDF; report dated November 13)
- Official precinct-location sheet (PDF)
- Election Commission district and Shelbyville ward maps
- Tennessee GoVoteTN voter lookup
Update log and records to monitor
Published the November timetable, ballot-district change, selected August 2026 county results and November 2024 county returns. Visually inspected the scanned result and sample-ballot pages. Withheld an unverified turnout percentage.
Next records to check: Changes to voting notices or polling places; November 3 results and subsequent official certification; a verified turnout table; congressional district or ballot changes.
This is a dated public-record guide. Missing or inaccessible records are not treated as proof of no action. Updates require supporting documents; no automatic monitoring schedule has been created.