A candidate takes the first step. A community builds the momentum. Citizen Activate brings Davidson County residents together to find new leaders, open paths to the ballot, and power the campaigns shaping our future.
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Before you go · Davidson County
Early voting is open through Thu., Oct. 29 at any of 15 sites in Davidson County, and Election Day is Tue., Nov. 3. Four things to know before you go.
Early voting has closed. Election Day is Tue., Nov. 3, 7 a.m.–7 p.m., at your assigned polling place. Four things to know before you go.
Early voting
Oct. 14–29
Open at any of 15 sites
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No early voting | No early voting | 14, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 15, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 16, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 17, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Brunch & Learn day | 18Closed |
| 19, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 20, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 21, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 22, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 23, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 24, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 25Closed |
| 26, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 27, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 28, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 29, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. | No early voting | No early voting | No early voting |
Election DayTue., Nov. 3 · 7 a.m.–7 p.m.
Election Day
Tue., Nov. 3
7 a.m.–7 p.m. at your assigned polling place
You can vote in Tennessee if you are:
If you have a felony conviction, your voting rights may need to be restored first.
Registration for the Nov. 3 election closed Mon., Oct. 5. Not sure you made it? Look yourself up; it takes about a minute.
A photo ID issued by Tennessee or the federal government. Expired is OK.
Not accepted: college IDs, city or county IDs, or IDs from other states. No ID? You can cast a provisional ballot and show your ID at the election commission within two business days.
Leave the campaign gear at home. Shirts, hats and buttons for a candidate, party or ballot measure aren’t allowed inside the polls or within 100 feet of the entrance.
Sources: Tennessee Secretary of State and the Davidson County Election Commission, checked Oct. 14, 2026. Rules can change, so confirm at GoVoteTN (opens in a new tab).
What Citizen Activate does
Decisions about potholes, zoning, and school policy happen close to home. We make elected roles easier to understand, filing requirements easier to follow, and your first volunteer shift easier to find.
Step one
20 minutes
Every office in plain language: what it does, the real time commitment, the pay, and where your experience counts.
You leave withA shortlist of offices that fit you.
Step two
One afternoon
The candidate packet, nominating petition, Political Treasurer form, and key dates in the right order, with the official link at every step.
You leave withA filing plan with dates, in the right order.
Step three
One conversation
A one-on-one about which seat fits, and an introduction to someone who has already taken the leap. Trainings and events along the way count toward the punch card.
You leave withA seat picked, and a person who has done it.
Pick one. You can come back for the others.
Step one
This weekend
Door-knocking and phone-bank training, the two skills every campaign needs first.
You leave withYour first punch, and a shift on the calendar.
Step two
Your hours
Door knocking and phone banks for a candidate on the ballot now, and two meetings of the office you care about.
You leave withReal voter contact, and punches 2, 4 and 14.
Step three
16 punches
Sixteen real things you turn up to. Finish the card, email the photos, and you’re invited to the year-end dinner.
You leave withAn invitation to the year-end dinner.
Pick one. You can come back for the others.
Sat., Oct. 17 Capitol View Brunch + happy hour
Join Citizen Activate at Detroit Cowboy for a free Pre-Election Brunch & Learn, with good food and a hands-on workshop on social media and messaging. At 2 p.m., keep the conversation going with drinks and networking at a Nashville Young Republicans Happy Hour.
Come for the strategy. Stay for the community.
Your free Brunch & Learn registration includes
Space is limited. Save your seat.
Bringing a friend? Text them the invite
Doors opened at 11. Head to the Detroit Cowboy on 11th Avenue North for brunch, templates and a messaging session. We wrap at 2 p.m. Central.
Thanks to everyone who came out, and to Meredith Miller and Carlos Cardena for teaching. Keep the momentum going: run, volunteer, or follow along for the next one.
Lights on. See you Saturday.
Save my free seat on Partiful (opens in a new tab)Reserved for you
Save my free seat on Partiful (opens in a new tab)Live at the Detroit Cowboy · Sat., Oct. 17 · 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Inside the Detroit Cowboy
Two sessions at one long table. You leave with a posting plan, the templates to run it, and the words to make it land.
First course
Founder · Yellow Belly Marketing
Effective, inventive social media strategy, plus downloadable, ready-to-use templates for volunteers, candidates and campaigns, so you leave with posts you can put up the same day.
Second course
Regional Director, Southeast U.S. · Leadership Institute
Strategic messaging and marketing techniques: how to say it clearly, say it on purpose, and strengthen your outreach to the voters a campaign needs to reach.
Oct. 1–2 · Renaissance Nashville · Leadership Institute
In session · Renaissance Nashville
Live now · Fri., Oct. 2 · 2:15–3:15 p.m. Central
Oct. 1–2 · Leadership Institute · Nashville
Citizen Activate founder Elle Johnson is teaching at the Leadership Institute’s Tennessee New School Board Member Orientation. Her session covers Tennessee’s open records law and conflict-of-interest ethics: what counts as a public record, when a vote needs a disclosure, and the January 31 filing every board member owes.
Attending counts toward your Super Volunteer punch card.
The Leadership Institute’s Tennessee New School Board Member Orientation is underway. Elle teaches open records and conflict-of-interest ethics on Friday, Oct. 2, at 2:15 p.m. Central, and the playbook from her session posts here the moment she wraps.
Open records, conflicts of interest and the disclosures new board members owe, in one hour. The playbook posts here at 3:15 p.m. Central, as soon as Elle finishes.
Elle’s session from the Tennessee New School Board Member Orientation, in one download: open records, conflicts of interest, the January 31 Statement of Interests, and five moves to make before your next meeting.
The playbook from Elle’s session posts here on Fri., Oct. 2, right after she finishes.
Sept. 9–10 · Dallas, Texas · Tennessee delegation Live From the floor in Dallas · Tennessee delegation Dallas, Sept 9–10 · What came home
Citizen Activate founder Elle Johnson is joining Tennessee’s delegation to the 2026 Republican Midterm Convention. The Citizen Activate Team will spend two packed days studying how candidates connect, campaigns organize, and ideas turn into action. Then it’s back to Davidson County to put those lessons to work.
Elle Johnson is on the floor with the Tennessee delegation right now. Sessions run 3 to 9 p.m. Central, the same clock as Nashville, and the dispatches land on Instagram as they happen.
Two nights on the floor with the Tennessee delegation, 100-plus speakers, one notebook. Here’s what Elle brought home to Davidson County, and what to do with it before the seats open.
Night 1 starts in
Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. Central.
Wednesday, Sept. 9 · 3 p.m. Central
Dallas bound. Davidson focused.
Streamed by the Republican National Convention. Also at GOPConvention.com/live. Nothing from YouTube loads until you press play.
Night 1 run of show
Hourly themes from the RNC’s published schedule, converted to Central time.
Night 2 run of show
Hourly themes from the RNC’s published schedule, converted to Central time.
The county
Nashville and Davidson County share one consolidated Metro government. Five smaller cities within the county also have their own boards and mayors, so some residents can pursue seats in two local governments. Select a marker or choose your Council district to explore.
Stylized map. County boundary from the U.S. Census (simplified); the river is drawn approximately. Council district lines are Metro’s own, generalised for drawing; check a boundary on Metro’s district lookup (opens in a new tab).
Metropolitan Government
City and county merged in 1963, so most local offices are countywide or district-based Metro seats. About 715,000 residents, one Mayor, a 40-member Council, and a slate of independently elected countywide officers.
Not sure which one you live in? Look it up by address (opens in a new tab).
Super Volunteer punch card
Learn the work. Meet the people. Build the skills. Each punch gives you firsthand experience with campaigns, public meetings, and elections. Complete all 16 for an invitation to the year-end dinner and consideration for candidate and Super Volunteer development support from GOP Nashville.
0of 16 complete
Tap an activity to track it here. Your progress stays in this browser. To receive official credit, email photos from the activities you complete.
The Quick Book
