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HB0659 • 2026

Election Laws

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 7, relative to polling places.

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Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Chism, Akbari
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation includes details that are not explicitly stated or implied in the official summary and text, such as the impact on voters. The enforcement mechanisms and consequences for accidental violations remain unclear from the provided sources.

Election Polling Place Rules

This bill allows county election commissions to designate restroom facilities in buildings where elections are held for use by campaign workers and volunteers, with restrictions on entering polling places and displaying campaign materials.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the county election commission to choose specific restrooms in a building for use by people working on campaigns during an election.
  • Campaign workers can use these designated restrooms but cannot enter the polling place itself.
  • Workers must remove or cover any clothing with campaign messages before entering the 100-foot boundary around the polling place.
  • Violating rules about entering the polling place or displaying campaign materials within the restricted area could result in a Class C misdemeanor punishment.

Who It Names or Affects

  • County election commissions
  • Campaign workers and volunteers

Terms To Know

Class C misdemeanor
A minor crime that can result in a fine or short jail time.
Polling place
The specific location where people go to vote during an election.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It is not clear how this bill will be enforced.
  • The bill does not specify what happens if a campaign worker accidentally enters the restricted area with campaign materials visible.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0659

Plain English: The amendment changes the effective date of HB0659 to July 1, 2026.

  • Changes the effective date of the bill from its current unspecified date to July 1, 2026.
  • The amendment does not provide details about why this specific date was chosen or what happens if the act is not enacted by then.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  2. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/8/2026

  3. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/8/2026

  4. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026

  5. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  6. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026

  7. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  8. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/18/2026

  9. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/18/2026

  10. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/11/2026

  11. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 3/3/2026

  13. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  15. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  16. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  17. 2025-03-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/17/2025

  18. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  19. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/11/2025

  20. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/11/2025

  21. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  22. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee

  23. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  25. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  26. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  27. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  28. 2025-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires t
he county election commission
to
designate entrances to the building in which
an
election is to be held that are for the use of voters.

The officer
of elections

must
measure off
100
feet from the designated
entrances and place boundary signs at that distance.
Within such boundary,
and the building in which the polling place is located, the display of campaign posters, signs
,
or other campaign materials
;
distribution of campaign materials
;
and solicitation of
votes for or against any person, political party, or position on a question are prohibited.

This bill authorizes a
county election commission
to
designate restroom facilities in a building in which
an
election is to be held that are for the use of worke
rs or volunteers working for a campaign. Workers and volunteers of a campaign working outside of a polling place may use restroom facilities in the building in which the election is held that have been designated for use by
such
workers or volunteer
s
but
must
not enter the polling place.
Additionally, such a
worker or volunteer
must
cover or remove clothing or accoutrements bearing campaign material before entering the boundary designated under
present law
. A worker or volunteer of a campaign who enters
the boundary without covering or removing campaign material, or who attempts to solicit votes within the boundary, may be subject to punishment
for committing a Class C misdemeanor.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SENATE BILL 232
By Akbari

HOUSE BILL 659
By Chism

HB0659
000633
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2,
Chapter 7, relative to polling places.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-7-111, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(e) A county election commission may designate restroom facilities in a building
in which the election is to be held that are for the use of workers or volunteers working
for a campaign. Workers and volunteers of a campaign working outside of a polling
place may use restroom facilities in the building in which the election is held that have
been designated for use by workers or volunteers working for a campaign, but shall not
enter the polling place. A worker or volunteer of a campaign shall cover or remove
clothing or accoutrements bearing campaign material before entering the boundary
designated under subsection (a). A worker or volunteer of a campaign who enters the
boundary without covering or removing campaign material, or who attempts to solicit
votes within the boundary, may be subject to punishment under § 2-19-119.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.