Upcoming Elections
2010 Primary Election: 08/5/10
2010 General Election: 11/2/10
Polling Place Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Voter Registration Information
Click here for a Tennessee Voter Registration Guide created by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and its pro bono law firm partners.
Registration Deadlines
Individuals must be registered 30 days prior to the election date.
Deadline for 2010 General Election: 10/4/10
Identification Required for Registration
No identification required. Any individual who registers to vote in person or by mail must only present evidence of his or her signature or sign an affidavit of identity. Those that register by mail, however, will need to vote in person and present identification when voting for the first time.
How to Check Registration
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Visit the Tennessee Department of State's Voter Registration Information Lookup webpage
Voting Information
Identification Required to Vote
All persons who registered to vote in person or have voted before must only present evidence of their signature or sign an affidavit of identity.
A first-time voter who registered by mail must present identification in order to be eligible to vote. Any one of the following forms of identification will suffice:
- Current voter registration card;
- Current Tennessee driver's license; or
- Photo ID which includes the voter's name and signature.
In the event that a first-time voter who registered by mail has none of the above listed items, he or she may still vote if he or she presents one of the following:
- Current and valid photo ID of any kind, either government-issued or private, not containing a voter's signature;
- Current utility bill;
- Bank statement;
- Government check;
- Paycheck; or
- Any other government document that shows the voter's name and address;
AND either one of the following:
- Any document with the voter's name and signature (e.g. Social Security card or credit card); or
- An official affidavit of Identity form provided by polling place officials.
How to Find Your Polling Place
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Absentee Voting
Click here to visit GoVoteAbsentee.org, a resource for absentee voters.
A voter may vote absentee if:
- The voter will be outside the county in which the voter is registered;
- Students and their spouses, residents of nursing homes or similar institutions providing domiciliary care, jurors, all persons over 65, all handicapped voters, candidates for office, election officials, those for whom Election Day falls on a religious holiday, and persons holding a valid commercial driver's license, may vote by absentee ballot;
- Living outside the U.S.;
- Uniformed service members/military voters whether within or outside of the U.S.
Any voter may request an absentee ballot from the voter's County Election Commission in person, in writing, by telephone, or by fax not more than 90 nor less than seven days before the election.
To vote absentee, the voter must complete a written application and submit it in the county in which the voter resides, either in person or by mail.
In addition, a voter shall upon a showing of reasonable proof to the administrator of elections or the administrator's deputy be eligible to vote absentee by personal appearance at the commission office, not more than five days nor later than the day prior to the election if:
- Due to the death of a relative of a voter which would result in the voter's absence from the state or county on election day; or
- If the voter receives a subpoena or service of process requiring the voter's presence on Election Day.
A voter must sign and return his or her absentee ballot in the enclosed secrecy envelope no later than the day of the election. The secrecy envelope must be placed in the enclosed mailing envelope addressed to the county Election Commission. The voter must sign the affidavit affirming that the voter is eligible to vote in the election.
- Once the election commission issues an absentee by-mail ballot to a voter, the voter can only vote by mail.
Early Voting
Voters wishing to vote early may go to the County Election Commission office not more than 20 days nor less than five days before the day of the election.
2010 General Election: October 13, 2010 through October 28, 2010.
Information For People who have Moved or Changed Addresses
Voter Moves Within Same County
- The state voter registration application also serves as an address change request. Complete and sign the application and either mail or take the application to the local county election commission office. The application must be signed and received by October 30, no later than five (5) days before the election in order to process the change.
- If the voter does not choose to use the state voter registration application, the voter may also submit, in writing, any address change within the county to their local county election commission office. The request must be signed and received no later than five (5) days before the election in order to process the change.
- If the voter has not updated their address and the voting period has begun, the Tennessee Secretary of State encourages the voter to vote during the early voting period. The early voting period is from the twentieth (20th) day to the fifth (5th) day before the election. The early voting period for the 2008 general election is October 15-30. The voter may go to any early voting location within their county to update their address and vote.
- If the voter elects to wait to the day of the election to update this information and the voter's permanent voter registration record differs from the voter's current address, the voter must complete an affidavit before being allowed to vote. The voter will be required to vote either at their new polling location or at a central location designated by the county election commission office.
Voter Moves To A Different County
- If the voter moves to a different county, it is not considered an update. The voter's registration does not transfer to other counties in Tennessee. A voter must register in their new county by submitting a voter registration application to their local county election commission office. The voter may either go in person to the local county election commission office or mail the application to their local county election commission office.
- All registration deadlines apply to new applications, therefore, the voter must register no later than thirty (30) days before the election. If the voter submits the application by mail, the voter must vote in person at the first election. These rules apply even if you have been registered and voted in another county in Tennessee.
- Registrations do not transfer from county to county and if the above requirements are not met the voter will not be allowed to vote in that election.
Information for People with Felony Convictions
Permanent disenfranchisement for at least some people with criminal convictions, unless government approves individual rights restoration.
In Tennessee, most people who have been convicted of a felony are not permitted to register to vote or vote at any election unless the person has been pardoned by the governor, or the person's full rights of citizenship have otherwise been restored as prescribed by law.
However, depending upon the date of the voter's conviction and the crime for which the voter was convicted, the voter may be able to have their voting rights restored. Visit the Tennessee Division of Elections website or call the state Division of Elections at (615) 741-7956
For more information, go to the Tennessee Secretary of State - Division of Elections website.
