Title 2, Elections

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a person convicted of voter fraud in any state shall not assist a person in voting by absentee ballot.

(a) In all counties, the attesting official shall update the voter's computerized voter history by making the appropriate data entry. Upon issuance of an absentee ballot, the voter shall not thereafter vote in the election except by absentee ballot, or pursuant to § 2-7-112(a)(3)…

(a) (1) The county election commission shall appoint registered voters of the county to constitute a central absentee ballot counting board to count the ballots cast under this chapter.(2) The board shall consist of one (1) officer of elections and three (3) judges appointed subj…

(a) (1) No later than four (4) hours prior to the closing of polls for all regularly scheduled November elections and no later than two (2) hours prior to the closing of polls for all other elections, or at such earlier time after the polls open as the county election commission …

(a) (1) The absentee ballot counting board shall unlock and open each ballot box in the presence of a majority of the judges and break the seals upon verification that the numbers are the same. All of the sealed absentee ballot envelopes with attached affidavits and early voting …

The provisions of chapter 7 of this title with respect to challenge and poll watchers apply to the central absentee ballot counting board. A poll watcher may not leave and reenter the absentee ballot counting after the challenge process has been completed and the counting board b…

If an absentee voter has voted before an election and such absentee voter dies before election day, the county election commission shall count such voter's ballot or vote. The casting of a proper ballot by a person who dies before the day of the election does not invalidate the e…

Except in those counties which use computerized duplicate registration records, the administrator of elections shall take the duplicate permanent registration records from the early voting duplicate permanent registration binders and put them in the regular duplicate permanent re…

The coordinator of elections shall adopt uniform forms for each county election commission for an application for early voting and absentee voting.

(a) The absentee ballot envelope shall have a sealing flap and shall be a plain envelope without markings except the words “Absentee Ballot Envelope” or “ Primary Absentee Ballot Envelope” printed on the face and such instructions for the use of the envelope if it has become prem…

(a) Ballots to be used under this chapter shall be prepared by the county election commission. The ballots shall conform to all the requirements of chapter 5, part 2 of this title with respect to paper ballots except as provided otherwise in this chapter. (b) Ballots to be used u…

(a) Absentee ballot boxes shall meet the requirements for standard ballot boxes under § 2-5-214, have at least two (2) hasps for locks, and be equipped with baffles so that ballots cannot be removed without unlocking the box. (b) The ballot boxes shall be locked at the beginning …

The coordinator of elections shall prepare and furnish all applications, envelopes, instructions and other official forms for use under this chapter at the expense of the state. With the approval of the coordinator of elections, a county election commission may use its own comput…

(a) (1) The county election commission may designate emergency registrars who shall have the responsibility of supplying ballots to and receiving ballots from persons who have been hospitalized in their county of residence within twenty (20) days of an election when such persons …

For persons voting absentee by mail or registering by mail from outside the territorial limits of the United States and for all armed forces personnel, there shall be printed across the face of each envelope in which a ballot or any registration material is to be sent the words “…

(a) Any application to vote absentee by mail from armed forces personnel anywhere outside the county where the voter is registered or from qualified voters temporarily staying outside the territorial limits of the United States and the District of Columbia shall be processed unde…

(a) Not later than forty-five (45) days before a federal election, as defined in § 2-1-104, the administrator of elections shall mail a ballot or electronically transfer a ballot to each member of the armed forces and each citizen temporarily outside the United States who is enti…

(a) In the case of individuals who are full-time residents of a nursing home, in the county of the voter's residence, the county election commission of each county shall send one (1) absentee voting deputy representing the majority party and one (1) absentee voting deputy represe…

(1) As used in this part:(1) “Low vision” means a partial or total loss of sight that is not correctible with prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses; and(2) “Print disability” means a disability that interferes with the person's ability to effectively read, write, or use print…

(a) Notwithstanding this title to the contrary, the coordinator of elections shall prepare an application to vote absentee by mail by which a registered voter with a print disability may request the administrator of elections to mail or electronically transmit an accessible ballo…

(a) The officer of elections is in charge of and responsible for the conduct of all the elections being held at the polling place where such officer is the officer of elections. The officer is subject to the direction of the county election commission in the performance of such d…

During the time for voting, the judges shall distribute paper ballots, decide challenges to voters, serve in place of other election officials as directed by the officer of elections, and assist the officer of elections in such ways as the officer may direct.

(a) No person may be admitted to a polling place while the procedures required by this chapter are being carried out except election officials, voters, persons properly assisting voters, the press, poll watchers appointed under § 2-7-104 and others bearing written authorization f…

(a) Each political party and any organization of citizens interested in a question on the ballot or interested in preserving the purity of elections and in guarding against abuse of the elective franchise may appoint poll watchers. The county election commission may require organ…

(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 …