Crossville Woman Denied GOP Primary Vote

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. - A Crossville woman has been denied to opportunity to vote in the Republican primary after a poll watcher challenged her GOP credentials.

WBIR-TV reports that an election panel on Tuesday upheld the denial of Mickey Eldridge's eligibility to vote in the Republican contest because of her past support for Democrats.

Tennessee voters aren't registered by party and voters often participate in different primaries depending on developments in a given campaign. But poll watchers can challenge voters if they are "not a bona fide member of political party" they are seeking to vote in.

State Democrats in 2008 vacated then-Sen. Rosalind Kurita's 19-vote primary win, partly on the basis that Republicans had been encouraged to cross over and vote for her. Her ouster was widely condemned among Republicans.