FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Gabrielle Hanson's complaint about a few minor voting issues Tuesday morning raises the question about whether a crazy election season in Franklin actually ends when the votes are counted.
That is not at all clear, judging from the mayoral candidate's own words.
"This is a global agenda. They have been doing soft-conditioning on city staff," Hanson said Sunday night, sounding off on a laundry list of conspiracy theories on the far-right podcast, the Patriot Punkcast.
"We already have smart technology tracking you in your cars and your cell phones. That's why you need a Faraday bag."
Tuesday morning, Hanson raised concerns about ballots potentially not recording voters' choices correctly — a claim that election officials immediately denied.
In fact, she was already hinting at that issue during the Patriot Punkcast interview.
"Knowing what I lived through in '21 with an election result that became known as the Tennessee Error, I have no more confidence in these machines than I did in the Dominion in the '21 election where more than half of them failed and we ended up with a hand recount the next day," Hanson said.
The so-called Tennessee Error refers to a problem with a vote tabulator that was actually caught by Williamson County election officials.
The county now has new machines from Election Systems & Software -- ES&S - but even support for that system among local conservatives is seen as a potential conspiracy.
One of the podcasters asked Hanson, "It seems that that's the same group of conservatives that are all backing Ken Moore. Is that the same impression that you get or am I out in left field."
"It is," she agreed.
Responding to NewsChannel 5 Investigates' reporting about critics seeing Christian nationalism in Hanson's unorthodox campaign, the mayoral candidate posted a video Tuesday from a self-proclaimed "apostle." who called the reporting a "hit piece."
He then argued that Hanson indeed appeared to be on God's side.
"They've labeled this whole political hit piece 'political or spiritual war?' It's all a spiritual war," Greg Hood said.
"Let me say it this way: God is not a politician, but God is very interested in government because he's a king."
As for the criticism from people like Kevin Riggs, Hood played a clip from the Franklin pastor.
"These conservative groups, these Christian nationalism, they are watching what takes place here because, if they can do it here, now there's a road map for their own communities to do the same thing."
Hood cut off the video.
"I want to stop right there. I believe that with all my heart."
And that is one of the unknowns. How much of a driver have these religious issues --like Ms. Hanson's opposition to Pride Fest -- been? And what is the turnout from churches who believe there ought to be more of a blending of church and religion?
Related videos, stories: