Title 2, Elections

(a) The election officials of each polling place shall meet at the polling place at least one-half (½) hour before the time for opening the polls for the election. (b) (1) If any election official fails to appear at the polling place, the officer of elections or, in such officer'…

If the county election commission receives notice that no election officials are at the polling place, the commission shall promptly appoint new officials who shall conduct the election. Until the polling place is open for voting, any voter who is eligible to vote there may vote …

The officer of elections shall deliver to the polling place on the day of the election the duplicate permanent registration records, paper ballots, sample ballots, voting machine keys, ballot boxes and keys, and all other supplies needed for the conduct of the election.

(a) If the ballots for a polling place are lost, stolen, destroyed, not delivered to the polling place or the supply of paper ballots is insufficient for any reason, the officer of elections shall notify the county election commission immediately after learning of this fact. The …

The officer of elections shall show the ballot box to the judges who shall verify that it is empty, and the officer shall then lock the ballot box before the polling place is open for voting. The ballot box shall remain locked until the votes are to be counted after voting has en…

(a) The officer shall give the sealed voting machine keys to the judges to prepare the machines for voting. The envelope containing the keys may not be opened until the judges have examined it to see that it has not been opened and that the number registered on the protective cou…

(a) The officer of elections shall have the sample ballots, voting instructions, and other materials, which are to be posted, placed in conspicuous positions inside the polling place for the use of voters. The county election commission shall designate entrances to the building i…

(a) (1) (A) A voter shall complete and sign an application for ballot, indicate the primary in which the voter desires to vote, if any, and present it to a precinct registrar. In addition, the voter shall present to the precinct registrar one (1) form of identification that bears…

(a) When the voter is to vote by voting machine, the voter shall then present the ballot application to the machine operator, enter the machine, and vote by marking the ballot and operating the machine. (b) The machine operator shall file the ballot applications in order of prese…

(a) When the voter is to vote by paper ballot, the voter shall then present the ballot application to the judge who is in charge of paper ballots. The judge shall write the ballot number of each ballot the voter is entitled to on the ballot application, give the ballot or ballots…

(a) A voter may vote only in the precinct where the voter resides and is registered, but if a registered voter has, at any time prior to voting, changed residence to another place inside the county, the voter must vote pursuant to § 2-7-140. If a registered voter has, within nine…

(a) (1) A voter who claims, by reason of illiteracy or physical disability other than blindness, to be unable to mark the ballot to vote as the voter wishes and who, in the judgment of the officer of elections, is so disabled or illiterate, may:(A) Where voting machines are used,…

(a) Where voting machines are used, any voter desiring to cast a ballot for a candidate whose name is not on the voting machine ballot may request a paper ballot to be furnished by the ballot judge. This request must be made before operating a voting machine, and a voter after re…

(a) No voter who is voting without assistance may remain in a voting machine booth or occupy a voting compartment for more than five (5) minutes if other voters are waiting or more than ten (10) minutes in any event. (b) If a voter refuses to leave after such time elapses, the of…

(a) If a voting machine being used in an election becomes out of order, it shall be repaired if possible or another machine substituted as promptly as possible. (b) If repair or substitution cannot be made and other machines at the polling place cannot handle the voters, the pape…

If any voter spoils a paper ballot, the voter may obtain others, one (1) at a time, not exceeding three (3) in all, upon returning each spoiled one. The spoiled ballots shall be placed in an envelope marked “Spoiled Ballots.”

No person may take any ballot from the polling place before the close of the polls. If a voter refuses to give the paper ballot to the judge to be deposited in the ballot box after marking it, the officer of elections shall require that the ballot be surrendered to the officer an…

(a) The voting machine operator shall inspect the face of the machine after every voter has voted to ascertain that the ballot labels are in their proper places and that the machine has not been injured or tampered with. The operator shall remove any campaign literature left in t…

If any person's right to vote is challenged by any other person present at the polling place, the judges shall present the challenge to the person and decide the challenge after administering the following oath to the challenged voter: “I swear (affirm) that I will give true answ…

(a) A person offering to vote may be challenged only on the grounds that the person:(1) Is not a registered voter in Tennessee and did not vote a provisional ballot;(2) Is not a resident of the precinct where the person seeks to vote;(3) Is not the registered voter under whose na…

(a) If the judges determine unanimously that the person is not entitled to vote, the person shall vote by paper ballot and the person's ballot shall be deposited in a sealed envelope marked “Rejected” with the person's name, the reason for rejection, and the signatures of the jud…

A person offering to vote in a primary may also be challenged on the ground that the person is not qualified under § 2-7-115(b). Such a challenge shall be disposed of under the procedure of §§ 2-7-123 — 2-7-125 by the judge or judges and the other election officials of the party …

At the time set for the closing of the polling place, the officer of elections shall place one (1) of the election officials at the end of the line of persons waiting to vote. No other person may then get in line to vote. The polls shall be closed as soon as all persons in the li…

The registrars shall, immediately after the polls close, cross (X) out the remaining space on incomplete poll list sheets so that no additional names can be written in and shall number those sheets serially and place them in the poll book binders.

Immediately after the polls close and before any ballot box or voting machine is opened to count votes, the judges shall tear all unused paper ballots in half without tearing off the numbered stubs. The portion without the stubs may then be discarded, and the portion with the stu…

(a) (1) After the polls have closed and after disposal of unused paper ballots, the judges shall then lock and seal the voting machines against voting. The judges shall sign a certificate on the tally sheets, stating that:(A) Each machine has been locked against voting and sealed…

(a) After the requirements of § 2-7-130 have been met or, where voting machines are not used, after the polling place closes, the judges shall open the ballot box in the polling place in the presence of the watchers and all other persons who are present. (b) The judges shall alte…

(a) After the completion of the requirements of § 2-7-131, the duplicate tally sheets shall then be completed, showing the total number of votes cast for each office and question, the total number of votes cast for each candidate, including write-in candidates, and for each posit…

(a) Only ballots provided in accordance with this title may be counted. The judges shall write “Void” on others and sign them. (b) If the voter marks more names than there are persons to be elected to an office, or if for any reason it is impossible to determine the voter's choic…

After the tally sheets have been certified, the judges shall close and lock the voting machines and enclose the keys for each voting machine in a separate sealed envelope on which they shall certify the number of the machine, the polling place where it has been used, the number o…

(a) The officer of elections shall prepare and certify to the county election commission a list of all election officials who served at the polling place and their official positions. The list shall be signed by each official. (b) The officer of elections shall certify to the cou…

When the certification of the tally sheets is complete, the officer of elections shall publicly announce the results and shall, on demand of any candidate or watcher present, furnish such person a certified copy of the results. The certificate shall include the names of all candi…

(1) After certification of the completed tally sheets and the performance of the other duties of this chapter, the officer of elections shall have the following items placed in the ballot box or boxes which shall then be locked:(1) The bound bundles of paper ballots;(2) The recor…

The officer of elections, accompanied by either a judge or precinct registrar of another political party, shall immediately deliver the locked ballot box or boxes and remaining election supplies or equipment except the voting machines to the county election commission.

No election supplies, ballots or equipment may be removed from a polling place from the opening of the polls until the requirements of § 2-7-137 have been met except that items which have been delivered to the wrong polling place may be transferred to the correct one.

(a) Voters whose registration is in inactive status because of a failure to respond to a confirmation notice described in § 2-2-106(c) and voters who have changed their address of residence to a new address within the county of registration shall be required to vote under the pro…

(a) If the registration of a voter has been transferred to a new precinct within the same county pursuant to § 2-2-129(b)(2)(A), the voter shall be required to vote under the procedures of this section. (b) (1) A registered voter whose registration has been transferred pursuant t…

(a) A county election commission shall not prohibit a voter from using a mobile electronic or communication device at a polling place for informational purposes to assist the voter in making election decisions. A county election commission may require that any mobile electronic o…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee Freedom of Speech Act.” (b) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, during the period beginning sixty (60) days before the first day voting begins pursuant to § 2-6-102(a)(1) for an election until the first day a…