At a Glance: Tennessee

Tenessee Voting Rules

Voter Registration Form:
Forms can be found here.

Deadline to Register:
20 days prior to Election Day (October 5).

Voter Eligibility:
Voter must be A US citizen, a Tennessee resident, and 18 years of age. Cannot have been convicted of a felony or, if convicted, have had Voting Rights restored as required by state law.

Identification Requirements:
Driver’s license or ID with photo and signature. If neither of these is available, the person can bring in a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government check along with an ID that has a name and signature (ex. SS card) or an affidavit of identity provided by the polling place officials.

Where to Turn in Your Registration:
You can mail or turn in by hand to your county election commission. You can find your's at this website.

How to Register Others:
Voter Registration Application forms are issued by the State of Tennessee and may be used in any county in the State of Tennessee. Any request for 25 or more application forms will be considered a Voter Registration Drive. Volunteers can mail in the forms for people they register. Completed Voter Registration forms that are mailed must be postmarked no later than the 30th day before (October 5) any upcoming election day. Any form received with a postmark of less than 30 days before the date of the next election will be considered as untimely filed and the individual applicant would not be eligible to participate in the upcoming election.

Absentee Voting:
Absentee voting is available. A person must have one of the following reasons to absentee vote. If a person registered by mail, they are to vote in person for the first time.

1. The voter will be outside the county of registration during the early voting period and all day on election day
2. The voter or the voter’s spouse is enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county of registration
3. The voter’s licensed physician has filed a statement with the county election commission stating that, in the physician's judgment, the voter is medically unable to vote in person. The statement must be filed not less than five (5) days before the election and signed under the penalty of perjury
4. The voter resides in a licensed facility providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, other than a penal institution, outside the voter's county of residence
5. The voter will be unable to vote in person due to service as a juror for a federal or state court
6. The voter is sixty-five (65) years of age or older
7. The voter has a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place
8. The voter is hospitalized, ill, or physically disabled and because of such condition, cannot vote in person
9. The voter is a caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled
10. The voter is a candidate for office in the election
11. The voter serves as an election day official or as a member or employee of the election commission
12. The voter’s observance of a religious holiday prevents him or her from voting in person during the early voting period and on election day
13. The voter possesses a valid commercial driver license and certifies that he or she will be working outside the state or county of registration during the early voting period and all day on election day
14.The voter is a member of the military or is an overseas citizen.


A registered voter may request a by-mail ballot by simply writing to the voter’s local county election commission office and making such a request over the voter’s signature. The request may be mailed or faxed to the county election commission office. Upon receipt of the request, the local election commission will mail an application for ballot to the voter. However, if the voter wants to expedite the application process, the voter may place the following information in the request for ballot:
1. The name of the registered voter
2. The address of the voter's residence
3. The voter's social security number
4. The address to mail the ballot outside the county (this applies only when the reason for voting by mail involves that the voter will be outside of the county during early voting and on election day)
5. The election the voter wishes to participate in. If the election involves a primary, the political party in which the voter wishes to participate
6. The reason the voter wishes to vote absentee
7. The voter’s signature
Dates: A registered voter may request an application for by-mail ballot no earlier than ninety (90) days (September 3) before the election and no later than seven (7) days (October 28) before the election. To be processed for the next election, the application must be received by the election commission no later than seven (7) days before the election (October 28).

Early Vote:
Early voting is available from October 15 to October 30.

For More Information
Tennessee Department of State, Elections
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
9th Floor, Snodgrass Tower
Nashville, TN 37243-1102
Phone: (615) 741-7956

Visit their website

Info about veterans, voting in other states, etc.

Please see this website for more information on U.S. Military Voter Services and voting overseas.

Click here to return to our Voter Registration Action Center home page.

Read our voter registration event guide here.

Visit Tennessee's state home page.