Election Laws

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass and has no current effect on Tennessee's election laws.

Changes to Election Voting Rules

This bill ends convenience voting and sets strict rules for early voting satellite locations in Tennessee.

What This Bill Does

• Removes a pilot project that allowed voters to vote at centralized voting centers on election day.
• Sets requirements for early voting satellite locations, including placement within specific geographic areas and use of secure paper ballots.
• Requires the coordinator of elections to create rules for using precinct-based optical scanners or secure ballot boxes during early voting.
• Clarifies that after early voting ends, voters must vote at their assigned polling place on election day.

Who It Names or Affects

• Registered voters in Tennessee who participate in local and state elections.
• County election commissions responsible for setting up satellite voting locations.
• The coordinator of elections tasked with creating rules to implement the new requirements.

Terms To Know

Convenience Voting

A system that allows voters to vote at any designated location within their county on election day, rather than only at their assigned polling place.

Early Voting Satellite Locations

Special voting places set up by a county election commission for early voting before an election.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill did not pass and therefore has no current effect on Tennessee's election laws.
• It is unclear how much the implementation of these rules will cost local governments.

Official Summary Text

Present law establishes a pilot project to determine whether convenient
voting centers could successfully be established for local and state elections to make it convenient for voters to vote at centralized voting areas on election day in the county in which the voter is registered. This bill deletes the pilot project.

Present law establishes an early voting period when eligible registered voters may vote before an election and authorizes a county election commission to establish a satellite voting location for early voting within a municipality, upon request. This bi
ll requires early voting satellite locations to (i) be placed in geographic locations not more than four precincts; (ii) be evenly
distributed throughout the county to ensure that the precincts are readily accessible
; (iii) utilize
a secure, serialized, wat
ermarked, hand-marked paper ballot
; (iv) maintain
a separate check-in process for voters to obtain a ballot by precinct; and
(v) ensure
that all ballots are secured and placed in an optical scanner by individual precinct only and that ballots are segregated by precinct and are not co-mingled with ballots from other precincts.
This bill requires voting at a satellite location to cease at the end of the early voting period and clarifies that a voter must only vote in the precinct where the voter resides on e
lection day.

RULEMAKING

This bill authorizes the coordinator of elections to promulgate rules to effectuate this bill. Such rules must include a requirement
for the use of precinct-based optical scanners or the use of secure ballot boxes for each precinct
; a requirement
to utilize secure, serialized, watermarked, hand-marked paper ballots and the provision for the correct ballot type representing the satellite precinct
; and the
procedures for the process at the end of early voting to return the optical scanners or secure ballot
boxes, or both, which are to remain in the county election commission office until such time as tabulation commences on election day.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 2564
By Bowling

HOUSE BILL 2304
By Barrett
HB2304
012724
- 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, Title 2, Chapter 3, Part 3, is amended by
deleting the part.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 6, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) Early voting satellite locations established by a county election commission
must:
(1) Be placed in geographic locations to include not more than four (4)
precincts;
(2) Be evenly distributed throughout the county to ensure that the
precincts are readily accessible;
(3) Utilize a secure, serialized, watermarked, hand-marked paper ballot;
(4) Maintain a separate check-in process for voters to obtain a ballot by
precinct; and
(5) Ensure that all ballots are secured and placed in an optical scanner
by individual precinct only and that ballots are segregated by precinct and are not
co-mingled with ballots from other precincts.
(b) The coordinator of elections shall promulgate rules to implement subsection
(a), including:
(1) A requirement for the use of precinct-based optical scanners or the
use of secure ballot boxes for each precinct;

- 2 - 012724

(2) A requirement to utilize secure, serialized, watermarked, hand-
marked paper ballots and the provision for the correct ballot type representing
the satellite precinct(s); and
(3) The procedures for the process at the end of early voting to return the
optical scanners or secure ballot boxes, or both, which are to remain in the
county election commission office until such time as tabulation commences on
election day.
(c)
(1) Voting at a satellite location must cease at the end of the early voting
period.
(2) On election day, a voter shall only vote in the precinct where the voter
resides.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.