2024 General Election: Important Return Dates
In Tennessee, all absentee ballots must be returned by mail (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.) and received by your county election commission by the close of polls on Election Day, November 5th, to be counted. Hand delivery or submission to a poll worker during early voting or on Election Day is not permitted.
Absentee voting is available if you meet any of the criteria below. The last day to request an absentee ballot is 7 days before the election. You can return your absentee ballot request form by mail, fax or email. The form does need to be physically signed by you before being returned to the election official. Voted ballots must be received by Election Day in order to be counted. You can sign up to track your absentee ballot on your Secretary of State website. Absentee ballots begin being counted on Election Day.
Those who requested an absentee ballot but end up voting in person may only do so by a provisional ballot. Do not mail a ballot and vote in person. For specifics, you can find your local county clerk contact info here.
To vote by mail, you:
You may request a by mail ballot by writing to your county elections office or fill out an absentee ballot request here. You may also email your request with an attached document including a scanned signature.
You may request an application for by mail ballot no earlier than 90 days before the election and no later than seven days before the election.
The county elections office must receive the ballot by mail no later than the close of Election Day.
Once the election office issues an absentee by mail ballot to you, you can only vote by mail. If you notify the elections office that you have spoiled your ballot or have not received the ballot, the elections office shall supply you with subsequent voting supplies. The county elections office will reject the old application and send a new application to you immediately by mail to be completed and returned again. The by mail ballot must be received by the county elections office through the postal mail, it can not be hand delivered.
First-time voters who register to vote by mail cannot vote by absentee ballot; they must vote in person.
Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation.
Request your BallotTennessee does not have an absentee/mail ballot curing process. We recommend that you track the status of your ballot using your state’s online tool before Election Day to make sure it has been received and accepted. If you voted a provisional ballot due to not having the proper photo identification at the polls, you must appear at the election commission office with your valid photo ID and fill out a form to correct the issue by November 7, 2024. Upon returning to the election commission office, the voter will sign an affidavit, and a copy of the voter’s photo ID will be reviewed by the counting board.
For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.
For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.
Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here.
No drop boxes are available. Voters must return their voted absentee ballots by mail.
Voting early is convenient and easy. You don't need any special reason to vote early. The early voting period starts 20 days before Election Day and ends 5 days before it. For the Presidential Preference Primary, early voting ends 7 days before the election. Please note that there is no early voting available on holidays, but you can still vote early on Saturdays.
You should bring both your voter registration card and an acceptable photo ID to vote early.
In a city election where there is no opposition on the ballot, early voting is not available.
For more information on early voting, contact your local county election commission office.
The next election dates can be found here https://www.vote411.org/tennessee.
Contact your local Board of Elections for more information.
To be eligible to vote you must be:
Incarcerated Voters & Returning Citizens:
In Tennessee, you lose your right to vote if you were convicted of certain felonies on or before certain dates. Your ability to restore your rights also depends on the crime you were convicted of and the date of your conviction. For more information, please review your state’s guide on restoration of voting rights. Pretrial detention and misdemeanors do not restrict your voting rights.
Voters without traditional residence:
In Tennessee, individuals do not need to reside in a traditional building to register to vote. Those experiencing homelessness may describe their usual or preferred location where they stay or return to for the Election Commission to be able to assign the appropriate voting precinct. However, a valid mailing address is required. Voters may utilize the address of a shelter, a family member, or a friend that agrees to receive the mail. If the voter registration card is returned as undeliverable to the election commission, the voter will be mailed a confirmation notice and placed on inactive status.
If you register to vote online, you will need an ID issued by the State Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Otherwise, identification is not required during registration but must be provided at the polls.
See "ID Needed for Voting" for more information.
If you register to vote by mail, the first time you vote you must present an acceptable form of ID. Examples of acceptable IDs are:
A photo ID is required when you vote. All voters must present an ID containing your name and photograph when voting at the polls, whether voting early or on Election Day.
Any of the following IDs may be used, even if expired:
IDs that are not acceptable:
Who is exempt?
If you do not have a photo ID you may get a free photo ID from the Department of Safety and Homeland Security at a driver service center. You will need proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate), two proofs of Tennessee residency (such as a voter registration card, utility bill, vehicle registration/title, or bank statement), and if your name differs from that on your primary ID, proof of the changed name (such as a certified marriage certificate, divorce decree, certified court order, etc.). If you do not have a photo on your driver's license and no other form of valid photo ID, you may visit a driver service center to have your photo added to your license for free upon request.
If you do not bring a valid photo ID to the polling place you may vote a provisional ballot. You will then have two business days after Election Day to return to the election commission office to show a valid ID.
For more information visit the Tennessee Secretary of State website.
Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline
Official results are never available on Election Day. Election officials are working around the clock to count an unprecedented number of ballots, and it’s essential that they take the time to make sure every vote is counted.
Absentee ballots begin being counted on Election Day. Provisional ballots are counted 4 business days after the election.
Official election results will be uploaded on Tennessee’s Secretary of State website as they become available.
Official ResultsYou 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.
You can make sure we have safe, fair, and efficient elections for all. Become a poll worker today!
In order to be a poll worker in Tennessee, you must:
You will be entitled to compensation
To sign up, contact your local board of elections.
Each county sets their own polling place hours. Contact your local elections commission to find out the times for your community.
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.
Tennessee is a partially open primary state, allowing voters to participate in another party's primary by choosing a party when signing in with a poll worker.
If you have any questions about your state’s primary election, please contact your local election officials.
If you claim to be registered but are not on the list, you can receive a provisional ballot for later verification. Ballots are eligible for verification if votes are cast in the correct precinct.
Tennessee does not provide a limited provisional ballot.
Provisional ballots are counted within 4 business days after Election Day.
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.
You can now register to vote online! Online applications must be submitted at least 30 days before the next election.
Printed voter registration applications are also available and must be postmarked or hand delivered to the proper county election commission office at least 30 days before the next election.
Employers must grant employees up to three hours paid leave to vote, unless polls are open three hours before or after regular working shift. Employees must request this time by noon the day before Election Day, and the employer may specify when during the working day employees may take time off.
To verify your voter registration status
click here!The voting systems used in Tennessee are Optical Scan and DRE.
Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.
Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen.
There are many variations of DREs because lots of companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session.
Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show pages. On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a touch screen where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. And some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for.
You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad.
You can learn more about voting systems by checking out the Elections Assistance Commission's (EAC) resource.
Department of State
312 8th Avenue North
9th Flr Snodgrass Tower
Nashville 37243
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