Election Laws

Plain English Breakdown

Uncertainty remains about how compliance with the new rules will be enforced and what penalties might apply if a candidate's name does not match their voter registration record.

Election Petition Rules

This bill requires that candidate names on election ballots match their voter registration records exactly and prohibits nicknames or variations.

What This Bill Does

• Changes the wording of a form that candidates use when they want their name on the ballot to require it matches their voter registration record.
• Requires that the name on the ballot must be identical to what is written on the candidate's voter registration card, including prohibiting nicknames, abbreviations, and variations in spelling.

Who It Names or Affects

• Candidates running in elections
• People who vote and read election ballots

Terms To Know

Voter registration record

The official document that shows a person's name, address, and other information for voting purposes.

Coordinator of elections

A government worker who helps organize and run elections in Tennessee.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify how the rules will be enforced or what happens if a candidate's name does not match their voter registration record.
• The bill did not pass, so these changes are not currently law.

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 630
By Campbell

HOUSE BILL 943
By Mitchell

HB0943
001979
- 1 -

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

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-5-102(a), is amended by deleting
the following language:
I hereby direct that my name appear on the official ballot as follows:
PRINT NAME
and substituting instead:
I hereby direct that my name appear on the official ballot as follows:
PRINT NAME AS IT APPEARS ON VOTER REGISTRATION RECORD
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-5-102, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(c) The candidate's name that will be shown on the ballot must match the
candidate's name as it appears on the candidate's voter registration record. Nicknames,
abbreviations, and variations in spelling are not authorized. The coordinator of elections
shall provide guidelines and examples to potential candidates to aid in compliance with
this subsection (c).
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.