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Elections
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
7th Floor, Snodgrass Tower
Nashville , TN 37243-1102
Phone: 1-877-850-4959

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Registering to Vote

General Information

Who can register

To register in Tennessee you must:

• be a citizen of the United States
• be a resident of Tennessee
• be at least 18 years old on or before the next election
• not have been convicted of a felony, or if convicted, have had your full rights of citizenship restored (or have received a pardon)
• not be adjudicated incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction (or have been restored to legal capacity

How to register

1. Use our Register to Vote form below to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
2. Sign and date your form. This is very important!
3. Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
4. Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.

Election Day registration
N/A

Voting Rights restoration

If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.

Registration Status (form)

New Registration (form)

Voting

General Information

Voting as a Student

Learn more from Campus Vote Project about voting for students.

Overseas and Military Voting

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

Voting with Disabilities

Polling places are generally accessible and the voting machines comply with HAVA. If you have disabilities, you are allowed to bring someone to help you vote.You may also request assistance from poll workers. Such assistance will be provided by two poll workers, one from each party.

For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.

Early Voting

Early voting is available and no excuse is required. The early voting period for generally begins 20 days before and ends 5 days before Election Day. For the Presidential Preference Primary, the early voting ends 7 days before the election. There is no Early Voting on holidays, however, Saturday Early Voting is available.

You should bring your voter registration card plus an acceptable photo ID when you vote early.

In a city election where there is not any opposition on the ballot there is no early voting.

For more information on early voting, contact your local county election commission office.

Vote by Mail (Absentee)

Absentee ballot rulesYou may vote by absentee ballot in Tennessee if:

• you will be outside the county of registration during the early voting period and all day on Election Day;
• you or your spouse are enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county of registration;
• you will be unable to vote in person due to service as a juror for a federal or state court;
• you are sixty (60) years of age or older;
• you have a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place;
• you are hospitalized, ill, or physically disabled and because of such condition, cannot vote in person;
• you are the caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled;
• you are a candidate for office in the election;
• you serve as an Election Day official or as a member or employee of Election Day commission;
• you will be observing a religious holiday which prevents you from voting in person during the early voting period and on Election Day;
• you or your spouse possess a valid commercial drivers license (CDL) or Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) and you certify that you will be working outside the state or county of registration during the early voting period and all day on Election Day;
• you are a member of the military or an overseas citizen;
• a licensed physician has filed a statement with the county election commission stating that, in the physician’s judgment, you are medically unable to vote in person. The statement must be filed not less than five (5) days before Election Day and signed under the penalty of perjury;
• you reside in a licensed facility providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, other than a penal institution, outside the voter’s county of residence.

If you are one of the last two, you can apply to be a permanent absentee voter.

How to get Absentee ballot

1. Use our Absentee Ballot Form below to prepare your application.
2. Sign and date the form. This is very important!
3. Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
4. All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
5. Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
6. Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.

What to do next

1. Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
2. Sign and date where indicated.
3. Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope. (You may not hand-deliver your voted absentee ballot.)
4. Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.

Absentee ballot application deadline

• In Person: 7 days before Election Day.
• By Mail: Received 7 days before Election Day.

Absentee ballot submission deadline

Election Day

Absentee Ballot (form)

Elections Alert (Form)

Pollling Information

Polling Place Locator

You can find your polling place by utilizing your state’s tool.

If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

Polling Place Hours

Each county sets their own polling place hours. Contact your local elections commission to find out the times for your community.

Poll Worker Information

In order to be a poll worker in Tennessee, you must:

• Be registered to vote in Tennessee
• Be at least 17 years of age to serve
• Political affiliation generally preferred
• Be a resident of state house legislative district or county for the 30 days prior to the election
• Complete required training
• Students who are 16 and meet all other voter registration requirements may be appointed

You will be entitled to compensation

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

Elections

The Division of Elections is headed by the Coordinator of Elections, Mark Goins, who oversees the election process in the State of Tennessee. The Coordinator of Elections works directly with ninety-five (95) local county election commissions, candidates and the public on election related issues.  The county election commissions are appointed by the State Election Commission.  There are ninety-five (95) county election commission offices throughout the State.

Division of Elections
Mark Goins, Coordinator of Elections
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Snodgrass Tower, 7th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
615-741-7956
1-877-850-4959
tennessee.elections@tn.gov

State Election Commission

The State Election Commission is composed of seven members, four from the political party holding a majority of seats in the General Assembly and three from the minority party. These individuals are elected for a term of four years. This is the only commission in Tennessee state government which is elected wholly by the General Assembly.

To be eligible to serve on the State Election Commission one must be at least 25 years old, a resident of this state for at least seven years, and a resident of the grand division of the state from which one seeks election for at least four years preceding the election. No more than any two members may be from the same grand division of the state.

The State Election Commission is responsible for appointing five county election commissioners for every county in the state. This is done on the first Monday in April in every odd-numbered year. After making such appointments, the state commissioners then monitor the activities and performance of the county election commissioners and shall remove a county election commissioner for violation of the oath of office or if that person is no longer qualified to hold the position.

Candidates for statewide offices qualify by filing their candidate petitions with the commission, and the commission must pass on the correctness and propriety of such petitions. The commission works very closely with the coordinator of elections toward the common goal of maintaining uniformity in elections as well as preserving the purity of the ballot.

Members of the State Election Commission are:

• Donna Barrett, Murfreesboro;
• Judy Blackburn, Morristown;
• Greg Duckett, Memphis;
• Mike McDonald, Portland;
• Jimmy Wallace, Jackson;
• Tom Wheeler, Clinton;
• Kent Younce, La Follette.

Please address all correspondence for the State Election Commission to the Division of Elections:

Division of Elections 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue 7th Floor, Snodgrass Tower Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0309 (615) 741-7956