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: Akbari, Chism
Last action: 2025-03-20
Official status: Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact penalties for violating the restrictions are not detailed in this summary.

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 actual voting area.
Workers must remove or cover any clothing with campaign messages before entering the restricted 100-foot boundary around polling places.

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.
Boundary signs: Signs placed around polling places to mark the area where certain activities are not allowed.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how many restrooms must be designated for campaign workers.
It is unclear if there will be any additional training or guidance provided to election officials about enforcing these new rules.

Amendments

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

HA1099

Amendment 1-0 to HB0659

Plain English: The amendment changes the start date for when certain election laws will take effect to July 1, 2026.

Changes the effective date of the bill from an unspecified date to July 1, 2026.

The amendment does not specify what changes are made in the original bill or how they will affect polling places.

Bill History

2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/16/2026
2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/14/2026
2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/8/2026
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/8/2026
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/18/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/18/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/11/2026
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 3/3/2026
2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0
2025-03-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/17/2025
2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/11/2025
2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/11/2025
2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/4/2025
2025-02-10 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
2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
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

HOUSE BILL 659
By Chism

SENATE BILL 232
By Akbari

SB0232
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.