Registration
Tennessee registration options include Online, By Mail, and In Person.
State Voting Guide
Tennessee Voting Guide
Use this Tennessee voting guide to check registration options, voter ID requirements, polling hours, absentee voting, eligibility rules, and official resources.
Last reviewed: August 14, 2026. Generated from structured state voting models and official-source links.
At a Glance
Tennessee voting quick facts
Voter ID
Tennessee is listed as Strict photo ID.
Poll Hours
Polling places are generally open 7:00 AM-8:00PM ET/7:00 PM CT.
Absentee and Mail Voting
Absentee in person, which is better known as early voting, and Absentee by mail, which is commonly called by-mail voting.
Felony Voting Rights
In Tennessee, people with felony convictions may lose voting rights beyond incarceration; restoration can depend on sentence completion, waiting periods, excluded offenses, or additional restoration steps. Restoration generally requires petitioning after...
Voter Lookup
Lookup tools may help with check your voter registration status, check your polling place location, view your sample ballot, and 2 more.
Register
Tennessee voter registration options
Tennessee voters may register online, by mail, or in person. Registration deadlines may vary by election type or method where noted.
Online Available
Use online voter registration to conveniently register to vote or update your voter registration. Online registration deadlineis 30 days before Election Day.You must have a Tennessee driver's license or Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security ID in order to submit this application online
- Online registration must be completed 30 days before Election Day.
By Mail Available
Download and complete the Voter Registration Application and mail the application to your county election commission.
- Mail registration must meet the state deadline 30 days before Election Day.
In Person Available
Pick up voter registration applications in person. In person registration deadline is 30 days before Election Day
- In-person registration must be completed 30 days before Election Day.
military overseas Available
Military and overseas voters may have additional registration options.
national_form
The National Mail Voter Registration Form may also be available where accepted.
registration_status
Consider yourself registered when- and only when- you receive an acknowledgment from your county clerk. Never assume you are registered to vote until you have received this acknowledgment. Call your county clerk and inquire about the status of your application.
Identification
Tennessee voter ID laws
Tennessee voter ID rule: Strict photo ID.
Strict photo ID
Tennessee voter ID rule: Strict photo ID.
Code: Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-112(c) and Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-112(f)
Accepted forms of ID
- Tennessee driver's license (not temporary)
- Photo identification issued by the federal government
- Photo identification issued by the State of Tennessee
- Photo identification issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety
- United States passport
- United States military identification card containing a photograph
- Tennessee handgun carry permit containing a photograph
- Employee photo identification card issued by: - the federal government, or - the State of Tennessee
- Retired state employee identification card
If you do not have ID
- A voter who is unable to present acceptable identification may cast a provisional ballot.
- The provisional ballot will count only if the voter presents acceptable identification to the administrator of elections or the administrator's designee by the close of business on the second business day after the election.
Polling Places
Tennessee poll hours
Polling places in Tennessee are generally open 7:00 AM-8:00PM ET/7:00 PM CT.
7:00 AM-8:00PM ET/7:00 PM CT
Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-3-201. Hours of election: Polling places shall be open for voting for a minimum of ten (10) continuous hours but no more than thirteen (13) hours. All polling places in counties in the eastern time zone shall close at eight o'clock p.m. (8:00 p.m.) prevailing time and polling places in counties in the central time zone shall close at seven o'clock p.m. (7:00 p.m.) prevailing time.
Absentee Voting
Tennessee absentee and mail voting
Absentee in person, which is better known as early voting, and Absentee by mail, which is commonly called by-mail voting.
Absentee Voting In Tennessee
Absentee in person, which is better known as early voting, and Absentee by mail, which is commonly called by-mail voting.
Absentee Voting Eligibility
To vote by mail, a registered voter must fall under 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 oruniversity outside the county of...
- 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...
- 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-five (65) 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 caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled
Request an absentee ballot
To request a by-mail absentee ballot, mail, fax or email with an attached document which includes a scanned signature the following information directly to your local county election commission office:
- Name of the registered voter
- Address of the voter's residence
- Voter's social security number
- Voter's date of birth
- 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)
- The election the voter wishes to participate in. If the election involves a primary, the political party in which the voter wishes to participate
- Reason the voter wishes to vote absentee
- Voter's signature
Return an absentee ballot
- The county election commission must receive the ballot by mail no later than the close of polls on election day. Once the election commission issues an absentee by-mail ballot to a voter, the voter can only vote by mail.
Eligibility
Tennessee voter eligibility
Under federal law, if you move within 30 days of a presidential election, you are allowed to vote for President and Vice President in your former state of residence, either in person or by absentee ballot.
Age requirements
Voting age: must turn 18 on or before election day
Registration age: You must be at least 18 on or before the next election to register.
To register to vote in the State of Tennessee, an individual must meet the following qualifications:
- Be a citizen of the United States,(18) years of age or older on or before the date of the next election.
- Be a resident of Tennesse
- You must not have been convicted of a felony, or if you have, your full rights of citizenship must have been restored
Voting Rights
Tennessee felony conviction voting rights
In Tennessee, people with felony convictions may lose voting rights beyond incarceration; restoration can depend on sentence completion, waiting periods, excluded offenses, or additional restoration steps. Restoration generally requires petitioning after sentence completion, proof of restoration to register, or another...
Lost Until Completion of Sentence; Waiting Period or Additional Action Required
In Tennessee, people with felony convictions may lose voting rights beyond incarceration; restoration can depend on sentence completion, waiting periods, excluded offenses, or additional restoration steps. Restoration generally requires petitioning after sentence completion, proof of restoration to register, or another qualifying restoration process; pre-1973 convictions are treated separately. In 2026, SB 336 revised restoration requirements related to fines and child-support compliance.
Citation: Tenn. Const. Art. 1, § 5; Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 2-2-139, 2-19-143, 40-20-112, 40-29-101
Policy detail
The Tennessee Constitution denies the right to vote to persons convicted of an infamous crime (Tenn. Const. Art. 1, § 5). Any felony is considered an “infamous crime” and disqualifies a person from exercising the right of suffrage (Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-20-112). Those convicted of infamous crimes may petition for restoration of voting rights upon completion of the sentence through the circuit courts. (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 40-29-101, 2-19-143). Proof of restoration is needed in order to register to vote (Tenn. Code...
Recent actions
- 2026 Enacted SB 336 revises requirements to pay certain fines for a person convicted of an infamous crime to have their voting rights restored. Under the bill, a person is required to have been compliant with all child support orders for the past 12 months, instead of the previous requirement to have paid all court costs assessed against the person at the conclusion of their trial and to be “current in all child support obligations.”
- 2025 Enacted SB 407 to revise procedures for restoring voting rights and restore suffrage for those convicted prior to 1973; changes petitioning processes.
- 2023 Supreme Court issued a ruling requiring felons to get rights restored by a judge or prove pardon.
- 2011 Enacted HB 1117 , expanding list of ineligible felons for automatic restoration.
Work and Voting
Tennessee time off for voting
Employees who begin their work day less than 3 hours after polls open and finish less than 3 hours before polls close are entitled to up to 3 hours paid leave to vote. The employee must request leave by noon the day before Election Day. The employer can set the time for leave to vote.
Time off status: Yes
Employees who begin their work day less than 3 hours after polls open and finish less than 3 hours before polls close are entitled to up to 3 hours paid leave to vote. The employee must request leave by noon the day before Election Day. The employer can set the time for leave to vote.
TN - TIME OFF FOR VOTING.
Employees who begin their work day less than 3 hours after polls open and finish less than 3 hours before polls close are entitled to up to 3 hours paid leave to vote. The employee must request leave by noon the day before Election Day. The employer can set the time for leave to vote.
Lookup
Tennessee voter information lookup
Check Your Voter Registration Status.
Voter Information Lookup
Use the lookup tool to check your voter registration status, check your polling place location, view your sample ballot, track your absentee ballot, and 1 more.
Moving
Tennessee moving and student voting
The voter registration application also serves as a name and/or address change request. Complete and sign the form. When updating your address within the county, the form may be mailed, faxed, or emailed with an attached document which includes a scanned signature or submitted in person to your local county election...
Movers and college students Voting
The voter registration application also serves as a name and/or address change request. Complete and sign the form. When updating your address within the county, the form may be mailed, faxed, or emailed with an attached document which includes a scanned signature or submitted in person to your local county election commission office. When updating one’s name, the form must be mailed or taken to your local county...
Did you move within your county or change your name?
- The voter registration application also serves as a name and/or address change request. Complete and sign the form. When updating your address within the county, the form may be mailed, faxed, or emailed with an attached document which...
- If the voter does not choose to use the above application, the voter may also submit, in writing, any address change within the county to their local county election commission office. The request must be signed and received no later than...
- If the voter has not updated their address and the voting period has begun, we encourage the voter to vote during the early voting period. The early voting period typically runs from the twentieth (20th) day to the fifth (5th) day before...
- If the voter elects to wait to the day of the election to update this information and the voter’s permanent voter registration record differs from the voter’s current address, the voter must complete an affidavit before being allowed to...
Did you move to a different county?
- If you move to a different county, it is not considered an update. Your registration does not transfer to other counties in Tennessee. A voter must register in their new county by submitting a voter registration application to their local...
- All registration deadlines apply to new applications, therefore, the voter must register no later than thirty (30) days before the election. If the voter submits the application by-mail, the voter must vote in person at the first election...
- Remember registrations do not transfer from county to county and if the above requirements are not met the voter will not be allowed to vote in that election.
Sources
Tennessee official voting resources
Questions
Common Tennessee questions
Can I register to vote online in Tennessee?
Tennessee lists online voter registration as available. Use online voter registration to conveniently register to vote or update your voter registration. Online registration deadlineis 30 days before Election Day.You must have a Tennessee driver's license or Tennessee...
What voter ID rule does Tennessee use?
Tennessee is listed as Strict photo ID. Review the accepted ID forms and voter-without-ID procedures before voting.
What time do polls open in Tennessee?
Polling places in Tennessee are generally open 7:00 AM-8:00PM ET/7:00 PM CT. Confirm your assigned polling place before Election Day.
Where can I check my Tennessee voter registration or polling place?
The Tennessee voter lookup section lists tools for check your voter registration status, check your polling place location, view your sample ballot, track your absentee ballot, and 1 more.
Can people with felony convictions vote in Tennessee?
In Tennessee, people with felony convictions may lose voting rights beyond incarceration; restoration can depend on sentence completion, waiting periods, excluded offenses, or additional restoration steps. Restoration generally requires petitioning after sentence completion...