HB0934 • 2026

Election Laws

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

Education Elections Labor

Active

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

Sponsor: Fritts, Pody
Last action: 2026-03-10
Official status: Taken off notice for cal in s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on cost implications, voter assistance for obtaining IDs, or handling expired IDs.

Changes to Voting Identification Requirements

This bill amends Tennessee's election laws by changing voter identification requirements and training procedures for election workers.

What This Bill Does

Replaces current acceptable forms of voter ID with new requirements that include a person’s name, photo, residential address, U.S. citizenship proof, and expiration date.
Requires the State Coordinator of Elections to train all election officials on these new identification rules.
Provides public information about obtaining proper voter identification.
Removes references to punchcard ballots in voting procedures.

Who It Names or Affects

Voters who need to show ID when applying for a ballot at their polling place.
Election workers and officials responsible for training on new voter ID requirements.

Terms To Know

Precinct Registrar: A person in charge of managing voting procedures at a specific location during an election.
State Coordinator of Elections: The official responsible for overseeing and implementing statewide election rules and regulations.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify how much it will cost to implement these changes.
It is unclear if there are any provisions for voters who cannot obtain the required identification due to financial or other barriers.
The bill does not address what happens if a voter's ID expires before an election.

Bill History

2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Taken off notice for cal in s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 3/10/2026
2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Taken off notice for cal in s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee of State & Local Government Committee
2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 3/3/2025
2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

When a voter presents an application for ballot to a precinct registrar,
present law generally requires that th
e voter
also p
resent to the precinct registrar one form of identification that bears the name and photograph of the voter.
Present law also requires a voter to verify the voter's identification by supplying one of the
following:

(1) A Tennessee driver license;

(2)
A
valid identification card issued by the state, or the United States where authorized by law to issue personal identification; provided, that such identification card contains a photograph of the voter
.
An identification card issued to a student by an institution of higher education containing a photograph of a student
is not
evidence of identification for
voting
purposes
;

(3) A valid
Tennessee photo
identification
license
;

(4) A valid U
.
S
.
passpor
t;

(5) A valid employee identification card issued by the state, or the United States where authorized by law to issue employee identification; provided, that such identification card contains a photograph of the voter;

(6) A valid U
.
S
.
military identi
fication card; provided, that such identification card contains a photograph of the voter; or

(7) An employee identification card for retired state employees.

This bill replaces the list in (1)
–
(7), and instead requires that the
identification
presen
ted to the precinct registrar
for voter identification
must, in addition to bearing the voter's name and photograph, also:

(1) Bear the voter's r
esidential address
;

(2)
Have been obtained with documented proof of
U.S.
citizenship;

(
3
) Include the vo
ter's photograph, current residential address, and expiration date of the identification;

(
4
) Indicate that the individual meets eligibility requirements for voting, including
U.S.
citizenshi
p
;

(
5
) Accommodate for the permanently disabled and include a
process for permanent identification; and

(
6
) Not be an identification card issued to a student by an institution of higher education.

This bill requires the
state coordinator of elections
to:

(1) P
romulgate rules for training all election
commissioners, election employees, election officials, and poll workers for procedures at the polls
; and

(2) I
n concurrence with the secretary of state, provide public access to information regarding how to obtain and the proper use of voter identificati
on as required for the procedures to vote.

This bill deletes references to punchcard ballots.

Th
is bill adds that
verification of
a person's
residential address
for purposes of processing the voter's application to vote
must not include a digital sourc
e or sources.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 732
By Pody

HOUSE BILL 934
By Fritts

HB0934
000991
- 1 -

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

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-7-112(a)(1), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting instead:
(A) A voter shall complete and sign an application for ballot, indicate the primary
in which the voter desires to vote, if any, and present it to a precinct registrar. The
application for ballot must include a space for the address of the voter's current
residence, and the voter shall write or print such address on the application when the
voter signs the application for ballot.
(B) At the time a voter presents an application for ballot, the voter shall present
to the precinct registrar one (1) form of identification for voter identification that bears the
name and photograph and residential address of the voter. The requirement to present
one (1) form of identification that bears the name and photograph and residential
address of the voter applies to persons voting pursuant to § 2-6-109; provided, however,
that a person voting in accordance with § 2-6-401(a) and (b) or § 2-6-601 is not required
to show an identification with a photograph and residential address of the voter.
(C) For purposes of verifying the person's identification on the application for
ballot, "form of identification for voter identification" must:
(i) Have been obtained with documented proof of citizenship of the
United States;

- 2 - 000991

(ii) Include the voter's photograph, current residential address, and
expiration date of the identification;
(iii) Indicate that the individual meets eligibility requirements for voting,
including citizenship of the United States;
(iv) Accommodate for the permanently disabled and include a process for
permanent identification; and
(v) Not be an identification card issued to a student by an institution of
higher education.
(D) Using the computerized voter signature list or the electronic poll book, the
registrar shall make a determination whether the voter's address is different from the
address on the voter's permanent registration record or if the registration is in inactive
status. If the voter has changed residence, or the voter's registration is inactive, the
registrar shall follow the procedures for voting pursuant to §§ 2-7-140 and 2-7-141.
(E) If, upon verification of evidence of identification, it is found that the applicant
is entitled to vote, the registrar shall initial the application, note the date of the election,
the number on the voter's ballot application, and the primary or general election in which
the voter applies to vote.
(F) If the applicant's signature is illegible, the registrar shall print the name on the
application.
(G) The state coordinator of elections shall promulgate rules for training all
election commissioners, election employees, election officials, and poll workers for
procedures at the polls.
(H) The state coordinator of elections, in concurrence with the secretary of state,
shall provide public access to information regarding how to obtain and the proper use of
voter identification as required for the procedures to vote.

- 3 - 000991

SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-7-112(c), is amended by deleting
the subsection.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-7-112(a)(3)(A)(vi), is amended by
deleting the language "punchcard or".
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-7-112(a)(3)(B)(i), is amended by
deleting the following language:
When provisional ballots have been cast utilizing punchcard or optiscan
technology, the counting of the provisional ballots shall be pursuant to rules
promulgated by the state coordinator of elections.
and substituting instead:
When provisional ballots have been cast utilizing a paper ballot, either marked by
hand or a ballot-marking device, and tabulated by optical scan technology, the
counting of the provisional ballots must be pursuant to rules promulgated by the
state coordinator of elections.
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-7-112(d), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting instead:
(d) For purposes of processing the voter's application to vote pursuant to
subdivision (a)(3), "verification of residential address" includes, but is not limited to, a
Tennessee driver license, a residential lease agreement, a utility bill, or other document
bearing the applicant's residential address. The "verification of residential address" must
not include a digital source or sources. Such verification may be on the same or
different identification from those listed in subsection (a).
SECTION 6. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.