{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Marc Gravitt","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"Marc Gravitt (born October 13, 1966) is a Republican politician and former Tennessee state legislator who currently serves as the Register of Deeds for Hamilton County, Tennessee [1]. He announced his candidacy for re-election to this office in December 2025 for the May 2026 primary election [8]. Gravitt was first appointed to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2014 by the Hamilton County Commission following the resignation of Vince Dean, representing District 30 from 2014 to 2018 [1]. He resigned his legislative seat effective August 23, 2018, to assume the role of Hamilton County Register of Deeds after winning the general election that year [1]. During his time in the state House, Gravitt served on the Business and Utilities and Local Government committees [1].\n\nPrior to his political career, Gravitt owned Gravitt Auctions & Appraisals for 27 years and worked as a real estate broker and auctioneer for over 35 years [8]. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served from 1984 to 1990 [7]. Gravitt resides in East Ridge with his wife Cleo and their two adult children, Jason and Kensley [7]. He is a member of Christ United Methodist Church, the American Legion Post 95, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the National Rifle Association [7].\n\nAs Register of Deeds, Gravitt\u2019s office records deeds, mortgages, military discharges, and other instruments as required by Tennessee Code 66-24-101, while also collecting and remitting state-mandated transfer fees and mortgage taxes to the Department of Revenue [3]. In his first term, he oversaw the digitization of the county\u2019s earliest land records dating back to 1796, making Books 1 through 14,128 available in an online search system [8]. He also implemented an in-house Property Fraud Alert System for residents [10]. Gravitt has received several awards for his service, including the Outstanding Register of Deeds Award from the County Officials Association of Tennessee in 2023 and the Bobby Wood Public Service Award in 2024 [8]. He previously served as the legislative chair for the Tennessee Register\u2019s Association [10].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Marc Gravitt - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Marc_Gravitt)\n- [2] [Category:Republican Party - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Republican_Party&filefrom=Arlen+Siegfreid&pagefrom=Marc+Gravitt&subcatuntil=Arlen+Siegfreid)\n- [3] [Marc Gravitt, Register of Deeds, Hamilton County Government](https://www.hamiltontn.gov/RegisterOfDeeds.aspx)\n- [5] [Welcome to Hamilton County Government](https://www.hamiltontn.gov/)\n- [6] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists)\n- [7] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/153259/marc-gravitt)\n- [8] [Marc Gravitt Announces His Candidacy For Re-Election As Hamilton County Register Of Deeds - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2025/12/8/512216/Marc-Gravitt-Announces-His-Candidacy.aspx)\n- [9] [Hamilton County Register of Deeds Marc Gravitt announces re-election bid | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2022/jan/03/hamiltcounty-register-deeds-marc-gravitt-anno/560808/)\n- [10] [Marc Gravitt To Seek Re-Election As County Register - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2022/1/3/440929/Marc-Gravitt-To-Seek-Re-Election-As.aspx)\n- [11] [Marc Gravitt Receives Outstanding Register Of Deeds Award - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2023/11/14/478242/Marc-Gravitt-Receives-Outstanding.aspx)\n- [12] [Marc Gravitt gets GOP nod in Hamilton County's register of deeds race | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2018/may/02/hamilton-county-register-deeds-race-be-set-followi/)","firstname":"Marc","lastname":"Gravitt","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"FfPBRqTjTu"},"token":"marc_gravitt"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":"hamilton","districtgroup":"county","districtgroupname":"County","districtname":null,"job_type":"register_of_deeds","o.office":"county_register","office":"county_register","officedescription":"The register of deeds maintains the county's permanent public record of real-property instruments \u2014 deeds, mortgages, liens, and plats \u2014 and collects the state transfer and mortgage taxes on them. The record the office keeps is the legal backbone of property ownership.","officequalities":"- Records management of deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, and other instruments affecting title to land in a high-volume metropolitan county.\n- Working knowledge of Tennessee recording statutes, the recording-tax schedule, and the increasingly-electronic submission workflow used by title companies, lenders, and attorneys.\n- Accuracy and indexing discipline \u2014 an error in the register's records can cloud title for years.\n- Public-access service: the records are open, and the office serves both professional users (title, legal, financial) and individual property owners.\n- Budget and technology literacy for maintaining a searchable, modern record system.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Hamilton County Register of Deeds","partisan":1,"pgr":"primary","quantity":null,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"county_register"}