2025 Bills We Support, lets get them passed!
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Committee Hearing Date
OFF NOTICE FOR THIS SESSION
House Elections Subcommittee
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, makes various changes to elections laws regarding voter registration, absentee and early voting, voter list maintenance, tabulation and recording of votes, and voter identification. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 55, Chapter 50.
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**This is an omnibus bill and contains many of the same aspects as the following stand alone bills.
Talking Points
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Updates law to keep pace with the volume of people registering to vote and voter rolls.
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Increased ability to check items such as residence and citizenship status prior to placement on the voter rolls.
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Raises the permanent age to receive absentee by mail ballot from 60 to 65 yrs of age
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Reinforces the current restrictions to prohibit 1st time voters from receiving an absentee by mail ballot.
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Provides enforcement and increased penalties for fraudulent absentee by mail infractions.
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Allows a registered voter to challenge the qualifications of another person applying to register to vote in the county
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Adds a secure watermark to all ballots
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Machine tabulators must read the ballot text, not a barcode or QR code
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Optical scanners must save a digital image of each ballot.
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Committee Hearing Date
No Action Taken
House Elections Subcommittee
Committee Hearing Date
Passed in the Senate
House Elections Subcommittee
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, prohibits using voting machines or voting equipment to cast, receive, or transmit an election ballot via the internet, except for military personnel and citizens abroad. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 6, Part 5 and Title 2, Chapter 9.
Talking Points
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Prohibits machines from receiving, transmitting or casting ballots using an internet connection.
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Internet voting CANNOT be secured!
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Maintains current accommodations for military and their dependents.
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Committee Hearing Date
OFF NOTICE
House State & Local Committee
Committee Hearing Date
April 1
Senate State & Local Committee
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, clarifies that the county election commissions have the duty to purge the permanent registration records of certain voters unless otherwise prohibited by federal law. - Amends TCA Section 2-2-132.
Talking Points
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Allows TN to repeal § TCA 2-2-132 which prohibits systematic voter roll purging 90 days prior to a regular August Election. This statute was passed prior to the NVRA prohibition 90 days prior to a November election.
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Increased guidelines to prioritize the vetting of new registration applications prior to placing an individual on the voter rolls and finally a bill to increase voter roll list maintenance activities specifically addressing frequency of NCOA reports to the county election officials. (Heritage models on the latter two bills used)
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Committee Hearing Dates
OFF NOTICE FOR THIS SESSION
House Elections Subcommittee
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, makes changes to the process for voting absentee under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 6, Part 5.
Talking Points
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Residency must be a factor for any non- military UOCAVA voter.
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Recommended change to the Military provisions to define both Military and non-Military voters as US Citizens
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Delete the provision to allow an individual that has never resided in TN to vote in TN Elections.
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Brings TN into compliance with the TN State Constitution that requires a voter to be a resident of the state of TN. Without such a designation for local and state residence there is no appropriate precinct/district to assign such an individual.
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Committee Hearing Dates
OFF NOTICE FOR THIS SESSION
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, makes changes to the forms of identification used to verify a person's identity for voting purposes. - Amends TCA Title 2.
Talking Points
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TN currently allows any TN government issued ID to vote; however, several do not include residential addresses.
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TN also allows expired ID.
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Homeland security requires new TN residents to apply for TN drivers license within 30 days of residency and 10 days for those moving within the state. For those moving within the state, a new license can be issued for free.
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Non- Drivers ID are available at low cost and are free to those 65 plus and/or physically or mentally disabled. This is an effort to require that voter identification include current residential address.
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The bill would require all forms of voter ID to have been issued using documented proof of citizenship to either obtain or be visible.
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A permanent ID vs expired ID may be offered to those on the permanent disability list or other ADA/hardship cases.
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Voters unable to present the above would still be eligible to vote with a provisional ballot.
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Training Election officials to check voter ID for these two items would be required.
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Committee Hearing Dates
OFF NOTICE FOR THIS SESSION
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, requires all ballots cast in an election to have a secure watermark; requires the official tabulation count of a ballot scanner to be based on the text or machine mark portion of a ballot; makes certain other changes related to ballots and elections; creates programs for the scanning and auditing of ballots. - Amends TCA Title 2.
Talking Points
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Due to increased national concerns using technology to generate a ballot this bill adds security features(watermark) to all paper ballots, including any generated by an electronic vote system.
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Only 24 of 95 counties use a QR. Any new upgrades or purchases should phase out or eliminate the QR/barcode
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Voters cannot validate their intention because they cannot read the QR/barcode
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QR on Hart-Verity Duo ballot does not affect voter’s choice. It is strictly reading the ballot type configuration.
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This bill would add the same provisions as passed in Georgia, to prohibit the use of QR Codes on ballots and to replace only with human readable text for tabulation purposes
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TN currently uses 6 different systems for ballots.
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Committee Hearing Dates
OFF NOTICE FOR THIS SESSION
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, requires acceptable forms of identification to cast a vote in an election in this state to be valid and unexpired; prohibits the registration of an applicant to vote without such a valid, unexpired identification. - Amends TCA Title 2.
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Committee Hearing Dates
April 21
FWM
Committee Hearing Dates
April 21
Senate State and Local
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, requires the coordinator of elections, in collaboration with the department of safety and Tennessee bureau of investigation, to create two electronic portals prior to January 1, 2028, for purposes of verifying an applicant's eligibility to vote based upon United States citizenship and conviction of a felony prior to registering the applicant to vote; requires department of safety to issue lawful permanent residents a temporary driver license, instead of a standard license, to aid in determining voter eligibility for someone who presents a Tennessee driver license as identification. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 41 and Title 55.
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Committee Hearing Dates
OFF NOTICE FOR THIS SESSION
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, revises the definition of "signature" for purposes of certain election-related documents, including absentee ballot and voter registration forms, and petitions for nomination, referendum, or another purpose; revises requirements for signing such petitions. - Amends TCA Title 2.
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Committee Hearing Dates
OFF NOTICE FOR THIS SESSION
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, requires the state coordinator of elections to monthly compare the statewide voter registration database with relevant databases of state and federal agencies to ensure non-United States citizens are not registered to vote in this state; revises documents that may be provided to prove United States citizenship upon request by a county election commission; revises the process of appealing a determination that an individual is not qualified to vote based upon citizenship status. - Amends TCA Title 2.
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Committee Hearing Date
OFF NOTICE
State and Local
Committee Hearing Date
April 1
Senate State and Local
Description of the legislation
Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As introduced, prohibits foreign entities and domestic entities that receive funding from foreign entities from making contributions to a candidate or a political campaign committee; prohibits the speakers of the senate and the house of representatives and the secretary of state from accepting funds from foreign entities and domestic entities that receive funding from foreign entities for conducting elections. - Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 3.
Talking Points
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Prohibits foreign funding to a candidate or political campaign committee.
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Prohibits foreign funding for advertisement, paying campaign workers, providing training, or election staff.
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Prohibits House and Senate speakers from approving acceptance of funding from any organization receiving funding from non U.S. sources.
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Committee Hearing Date
Passed 4/16
State and Local Committee
Committee Hearing Date
Passed 4/15
Senate State and Local
Description of the legislation
Election Laws - As introduced, extends the period county election commissions are required to retain files related to purging voter registrations, from two years to three years. - Amends TCA Title 2.
Bills We Oppose. Let's Get Them Stopped
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Committee Hearing Date
Passed in the House
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Committee Hearing Date
Passed in the Senate
Description of the legislation
Authorizes Hamblen County to participate in the convenience voting center pilot project. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 3, Part 3.
**This bill may be amended to include Blount County
Talking Points
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Vote centers introduce vulnerabilities to our elections.
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Vote Centers undermine the purity of the ballot box by increasing remote voting and centralized tabulation.
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Vote centers prohibit precinct audits as stated in TN law without compromising every ballot.
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There’s no way to independently audit the ballots because they are all commingled.
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Vote centers create chain of custody issues for precinct ballots.
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Precincts are the Constitutionally prescribed means to ensure equal access to the polls.
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Vote centers rely on network connections.
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Vote centers have created issues with voters receiving the wrong ballot.
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The election commission(unelected) has full discretion on where to place vote centers and change the locations from one election to the next causing voter confusion and unequal access.
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Committee Hearing Date
Passed the Full House​
​Recommended for passage by the full Passed in the Senate
Description of the legislation
Driver Licenses - As introduced, prohibits the use of digital driver licenses and digital photo identification licenses for voter identification purposes; regulates the use, retention, and disclosure of data submitted by persons participating in the digital driver license system, including biometric identifiers; prohibits geolocation data from being collected for purposes of the digital driver license system; revises other provisions related to driver licenses. - Amends TCA Section 2-7-112 and Title 55, Chapter 50.
Talking Points
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While the bill says it prohibits the use of a digital ID for voter identification purposes, allowing the use of a digital ID for any purpose is a slippery slope.
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If a citizen uses digital ID, what valid ID will they have for voting?
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This is the camel’s nose under the tent!
Want to contact your legislator and let them know how you feel? Here is how you can do that. Remember to be polite
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House Elections and Campaign Finance Subcommittee
Tim Rudd-Chair rep.tim.rudd@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-2804
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Rush Bricken rep.rush.bricken@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-7448
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Dan Howell rep.dan.howell@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-7799
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Tom Leatherwood rep.tom.leatherwood@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-7084
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Jerome Moon rep.jerome.moon@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-5481
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Dave Wright rep.dave.wright@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-6879
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Jason Powell(D) rep.jason.powell@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-6861
rep.tim.rudd@capitol.tn.gov;rep.rush.bricken@capitol.tn.gov;rep.dan.howell@capitol.tn.gov;rep.tom.leatherwood@capitol.tn.gov;rep.jerome.moon@capitol.tn.gov;rep.dave.wright@capitol.tn.gov;rep.jason.powell@capitol.tn.gov
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Senate State and Local Committee
Richard Briggs-Chairsen richard.briggs@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-1766
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Page Walley- vice chair sen.page.walley@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-2368
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Tom Hatcher-2nd vice chair sen.tom.hatcher@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-0981
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Todd Gardenhire sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-6682
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Ed Jackson sen.ed.jackson@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-1810
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Adam Lowe sen.adam.lowe@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-1746
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Kerry Roberts sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-4499
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Sara Kyle(D) sen.sara.kyle@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-4167
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Jeff Yarbro(D) sen.jeff.yarbro@capitol.tn.gov (615) 741-3291