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HB0457 • 2026

Election Laws

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, relative to elections.

Elections
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Rudd, Briggs
Last action
2025-05-13
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 371
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text does not provide specific details on all changes made to voter registration processes beyond requiring confirmation notices for address updates.

Election Law Changes

This bill revises Tennessee's election laws by setting new rules for provisional ballots, voting machine use, and voter registration processes.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the deadline for counting provisional ballots to the third Monday after an election if a county gets an extension from its original deadline.
  • Requires counties to publish where provisional ballot counts will happen before elections and not change this location unless there is an emergency.
  • Doesn't allow counties to count any internet-submitted marked ballots.
  • Forbids voting machines from being connected to the internet.
  • Updates voter registration processes when a person might have moved, requiring them to confirm their address.

Who It Names or Affects

  • County election commissions
  • Voters who submit provisional or internet ballots
  • People registering to vote

Terms To Know

Provisional ballot
A special type of ballot used when a voter's eligibility is in question and counted after the election if they are found eligible.
Voter registration
The process by which individuals become officially recognized as voters, allowing them to cast ballots in elections.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Some parts of the bill do not specify exact dates or deadlines.
  • It does not address how voter information is verified for accuracy beyond requiring confirmation notices.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0457

Plain English: This amendment changes several sections of Tennessee election laws to restrict internet voting and provisional ballot counting procedures.

  • Limits county election commissions from tabulating any marked ballots submitted via the internet.
  • Prohibits voting machines from being connected to the internet.
  • Extends the time for counting provisional ballots if necessary, up to the third Monday after an election.
  • Requires county election commissions to publish the location of provisional ballot counting boards and not change it except in emergencies.
  • The amendment text does not provide specific details on how internet voting restrictions will be enforced or monitored.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0626

Plain English: This amendment changes several sections of Tennessee election laws to restrict internet voting and provisional ballot counting procedures, among other things.

  • Limits county election commissions from tabulating any marked ballots submitted via the internet.
  • Prohibits voting machines from being connected to the internet.
  • Extends the time for counting provisional ballots if necessary, up to the third Monday after an election.
  • Requires county election commissions to publish the location of provisional ballot counting boards and not change it except in emergencies.
  • The amendment text does not provide specific details on how these changes will be implemented or enforced.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 371

  2. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/05/2025

  3. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 371

  4. 2025-05-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  11. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 72, Nays 22, PNV 0

  12. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0398)

  13. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/16/2025

  15. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/15/2025

  16. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  17. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  18. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  19. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 22, Nays 4

  21. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0305)

  22. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2025

  23. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/9/2025

  24. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/9/2025

  25. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 7, Nays 2 PNV 0

  26. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 4/2/2025

  27. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 4/2/2025

  28. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/2/2025

  29. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  30. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  31. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 3/25/2025

  32. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee

  33. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  34. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  35. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  36. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  37. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  38. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  39. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  40. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  41. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 9, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 626, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, make the following revisions to present law:



Revises from the second Monday to the third Monday after an election, the time by which the state coordinator of elections must designate the deadline by which the counting of provisional ballots must be completed when the county election commission has been given an extension from the original deadline.



Requires the county election commission to publish a notice of the location of the provisional counting board in conjunction with the notice of election and to not change the location except in the event of an emergency.



Prohibits the county election commission from tabulating any marked ballots submitted via the internet.



Prohibits voting machines from being connected to the internet.



Requires the county election commission to follow the process used by the commission when a determination is made that a voter may have changed the voter's address of residence, which includes the administrator of elections mailing a forwardable confirmation notice to the voter at the address of registration with a postage prepaid, pre-addressed return form on which the voter may verify or correct the new address information, if indications exist that the voter may no longer reside at the address at which the voter is registered, such as the voter's failure to vote, or otherwise update the voter's registration over a period of two consecutive regular November elections.



Removes the provision requiring, if a person registers to vote in the election commission office, the commission employee who assists the person in registering to fill out the permanent registration record except for the person's signature or mark and, instead, requires a person who registers to vote in the county election commission office to present evidence of identification or verification of residential address.



Requires a registration form from a person who registers to vote at a supplemental registration who does not present evidence of identification or verification of residential address to be processed in accordance with law relative to registration by mail.



Requires the administrator of elections to mail the voter registration card to any new voter who has not provided verification of residential address, or who registers at a supplemental registration.



Removes the prohibition against the county election commission purging the permanent registration records of those persons whose registrations are required to be purged by present law less than 90 days before the regular August election.



Authorizes purging by the county election commission unless otherwise prohibited by federal law.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 626
By Briggs

HOUSE BILL 457
By Rudd

HB0457
001892
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2,
relative to elections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-5-151(c), is amended by adding
the following new sentence between the first and second sentences:
The commission may notify the individual or individuals filing the petition of a defect in
the documentation.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.