TN’s 4th district U.S. House race could be called after Nashville counts provisional ballots Monday

The Davidson County Election Commission will count the remaining provisional ballots in Tennessee’s 4th U.S. Congressional race at a Nov. 16 meeting, potentially allowing the outcome to be called in favor of a Democratic upstart. 

After election night last week, Democrat Victoria Broderick led veteran Republican U.S. Rep. Scott DeJarlais by 285 votes in the 4th District.

Broderick has not officially been declared the winner because the multi-county congressional district still has about 700 provisional ballots to count. The district includes the eastern third of Nashville-Davidson County, Rutherford County and nine more rural counties in middle and east Tennessee. 

John Richardson, administrator of elections with the Davidson County Election Commission, said about 600 of those remaining provisional ballots are in the part of the district that includes Nashville-Davidson County. 

“We have a process, and it takes time,” Richardson said. 

The commission will determine this week which ballots are valid, and those will be put into voting machines to be counted at an 8 a.m. meeting on Monday, Nov. 16, Richardson said. Voters are allowed to cast provisional ballots when questions are raised about their eligibility to cast a regular ballot. Davidson County plans to certify its election results Nov. 19. 

DeJarlais has not conceded the race because the remaining votes exceed Broderick’s current lead. 

Democrats won heavily in Nashville during this election cycle, and Broderick has won 75% of the vote in the part of the district in Nashville where provisional votes remain to be counted.