Tennessee Voting Requirements & Information
U.S. Vote Foundation’s Tennessee Voting Requirements and Information directory informs you of Tennessee voting rules and options. It focuses on Tennessee-specific voting guidelines and information for all voters, including domestic, overseas, and military voters. Here you can find out about Tennessee voter eligibility, voter ID requirements, registration, absentee and early voting options, ways to transmit voting documents and links to specific-Tennessee voting tools. It's an all-in-one Tennessee voting resource.
General Information
Registration
You can register to vote or update your registration information:
- by mail
- in person at your elections office
- at early voting sites
- on-line
- at some public assistance offices and motor vehicle offices
Election Day Voting
Polling place hours vary by county. Please check http://web.go-vote-tn.elections.tn.gov/ for up to date hours by location.
Find my polling place
Early Voting
Any registered voter may vote early in person during the established early voting period. Early voting period typically begins 20 days before an election and ends 5 days before an election and includes Saturdays. The exception is for the Presidential Preference Primary, when early voting ends 7 days before the election. There is no early voting in uncontested elections.
Hours for early voting may vary - contact your local elections office for hours and availability of early voting.
Absentee Voting
To vote by absentee ballot by mail, a registered voter must fall into one of the following categories:
- The voter will be outside the county of registration during the early voting period and all day on election day
- 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
- 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 seven (7) days before the election and signed under the penalty of perjury
- The voter resides in a licensed facility providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, other than a penal institution, outside the voter's county of residence
- The voter will be unable to vote in person due to service as a juror for a federal or state court
- The voter is sixty (60) years of age or older
- The voter has a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place
- The voter is hospitalized, ill, or physically disabled and because of such condition, cannot vote in person
- The voter is a candidate for office in the election
- The voter serves as an election day official or as a member or employee of the election commission
- 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
- The voter or the voter’s spouse possesses a valid commercial drivers license (CDL) or the voter possesses a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card and certifies that he or she will be working outside the state or county of registration during the open hours of early voting and Election Day, and has no specific out-of-county or out-of-state address to which mail may be sent or received during such time
- The voter is a member of the military or is an overseas citizen
Some residents may qualify for placement on a permanent absentee voter list. All absentee voters who return a ballot for any election must do so by mail.
Please visit the US Vote Disability Voting Guide to see accommodations for the registration and voting process.
Eligibility Requirements
You are eligible to vote in Tennessee if you:
- Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
- Are a resident of Tennessee
- Are a U.S. citizen
You are NOT eligible to vote in Tennessee if:
- You were disqualified from voting due to a court order
- You are currently serving a sentence including incarceration, parole, probation, or extended supervision for a felony conviction
Tennessee has different rules regarding felony convictions before May 18, 1981. See here for more information: https://www.usvotefoundation.org/voting-rights-restoration/tennessee
If you are a student, you are eligible to vote in Tennessee if:
- You reside in another state but attend college in Tennessee
- Tennessee does not accept student ID; refer to Tennessee Identification Requirements section
- You reside in Tennessee but are attending college in another state
Identification Requirements
Voter Registration
To register to vote in Tennessee you should provide:
- Your Social Security Number
Voting In-Person
In Tennessee, you need to show a valid photo ID to vote. You can use any ID from this list, even if expired:
- Tennessee ID Card
- Valid Federal Issued ID
- Valid US Passport
- Valid Tennessee Driver's License
- Valid ID Issued by the Tennessee Department of Homeland Security
- Valid Military ID
- License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm
First time voters who register online or by mail, if the ID is expired, must also present one of the following: * a copy of a current utility bill * bank statement * government check * paycheck * other government document that shows the voter’s name and address
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Domestic Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
State Lookup Tools – Am I Registered?
State Elections Website
Where is my Polling Place?
Am I Registered?
Can I Register to Vote Online?
State Voter Registration FAQ
Overseas / Military Voter Information
Where is my Ballot?
Can I View my Sample Ballot?
Vote in Honor of a Veteran
Where are my Early Voting Locations?
Has my Ballot Been Counted?
Where is my Overseas or Military Ballot?
Eligibility Requirements
Overseas Voters
U.S. citizens living abroad have the right to vote as absentee voters, provided they are eligible to vote in their state. If you are living outside of the U.S. permanently, indefinitely, or temporarily, your voting rights stay with you, even if you never voted when you lived in the U.S. To vote from overseas:
- Complete and send an overseas voter registration/ballot request form to your election office in the U.S. This is one specific form that will register you as an overseas voter and request your absentee ballot – simultaneously.
Many states allow children who were born overseas, but never lived in the U.S., to use their U.S. parents’ last residence address to register. An individual who meets the above requirements may request an absentee ballot by completing a Federal Post Card application. A form is available at www.overseasvote.org
Military Voters
Service members and their eligible family members living outside their voting jurisdiction (within or outside the U.S.) are able to vote as absentee voters.
- If you are a service member, or an eligible family member, there is a single form to file for both voter registration and ballot request. It is often called the “Federal Post Card Application” or the FPCA form. This form must be re-filed with your election office each time you change location.
An FPCA form is available at www.usvotefoundation.org
To vote as a service member or eligible family member:
- Complete and send a voter registration/ballot request form “FPCA” to your election office in the U.S. It is the same form in all states.
A form is available at www.usvotefoundation.org
Identification Requirements
Voting Overseas
U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- Complete Social Security Number
Voting Military
Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form ("FPCA"). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- Complete Social Security Number
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Overseas Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
Military Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |