Dear Friends, 

Early voting for the Knoxville city mayoral campaign starts in just thirty short days (September 7)!  Voters have three weeks left to register, and absentee ballots are already being requested. 

Election Calendar
-August 29 – Final day to register to vote
-Sept 7 – FIRST DAY OF EARLY VOTING
-Sept 20 – Final day to request absentee ballot
-Sept 27 – PRIMARY ELECTION DAY

Our campaign has gained momentum throughout the entire city because of supporters like you. And now is the time to double down on our efforts and encourage our friends, family, and colleagues to vote. 

Want to help a friend get registered to vote or find their polling place?
-Register to Vote HERE.
-Request an Absentee Ballot HERE.
-Not Sure If Someone You Know is Registered to Vote? Check HERE.
-Find Your Polling Location HERE.

Want to sign up to volunteer or host a house party? Need yard signs, bumper stickers, and/or t-shirts (for you or your friends) delivered directly to your home/office? Simply sign up here, call 865-382-6904, or email frank@votepadgett.com.

Thank you again for all your efforts – now on to Election Day!

Sincerely,

Mark Padgett

P.S. – In Case You Missed It: Knoxville Journal Profile on Campaign Interns

EXCERPT: As local businessman Mark Padgett is preparing for the homestretch of his campaign to become Knoxville’s next mayor, he has had some little helpers along the way.

Padgett and his staff have given major credit to a group of 16 interns that have worked on his campaign during the year, most of them college students. Two of them have left to go to law school, and eight more are expected this fall.

According to Laura Braden, Padgett’s communications director and assistant campaign manager, the interns have performed duties such as data entry, but most of their tasks have been a combination of staffing Padgett at events, research (policy and voters), drafting press releases, helping manage its social media outlets, voter outreach and helping organize fundraisers and events.

Braden, who was an intern several times herself, said their goal for the interns was to show them the ins and outs of a campaign.

“We show them things like explaining strategy, seeing how a media interview works, how a candidate prepares for a debate, how we reach voters, and how we raise money, and so forth,” Braden said. “We try to accommodate different skill sets and interest.

“(The interns’) backgrounds are truly diverse,” Braden continued. “There are some from Knoxville and University of Tennessee students, some out-of-staters who attend UT, some from Knoxville and just graduated from college. We’ve got Republicans and Democrats, and their majors are reflective of the outreach. The one thing they all have in common is that this is their first political campaign.”

Read the full article at the Knoxville Journal.

And as a reminder, you can find all of our upcoming events and debates on Facebook and our website.