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SB1757 • 2026

Election Laws

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

Elections
Active

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

Sponsor
Briggs, Rudd
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included additional provisions that are not supported by the official source material provided. These were removed from the summary.

Election Petition Notification Act

This bill allows county election commissions to inform individuals who file petitions for recall, referendum, or initiative if there are problems with their paperwork.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds a new rule that lets county election commissions tell people about mistakes in their petition papers when they try to start a recall, referendum, or initiative process.

Who It Names or Affects

  • County election commissions
  • Individuals filing petitions for recall, referendum, or initiative

Terms To Know

Petition
A document used to start a process like a recall election or an initiative.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if the notification is ignored by petition filers.
  • Does not provide details on how election commissions should notify individuals about defects.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1743

Plain English: This amendment allows candidates to continue using printed materials with their former treasurer's name after changing treasurers, as long as they notify the registry of election finance.

  • Candidates can keep using printed campaign materials that have the former treasurer’s name on them until those materials are used up.
  • The definition of 'print communication' includes physical signs, pamphlets, stickers, and other similar items but excludes audio, video, or digital communications.
  • The amendment does not specify how long candidates have to notify the registry after changing treasurers.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1757

Plain English: The amendment allows candidates to continue using printed materials with their former treasurer's name after changing treasurers, as long as they notify the registry of election finance.

  • Candidates can keep using printed campaign materials that have the former treasurer’s name on them until those materials are used up.
  • This applies only if the candidate informs the registry of election finance about the change in treasurers.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens with digital or audio communications, so it's unclear how these would be handled after a treasurer change.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  4. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0955)

  5. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  6. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/14/2026

  7. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  8. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  9. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 94, Nays 0, PNV 0

  11. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0789)

  12. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 0

  13. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/31/2026

  14. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/2/2026

  15. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/31/2026

  16. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  17. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  18. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026

  19. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  20. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/25/2026

  21. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  23. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  26. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  27. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee for 3/10/2026

  30. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee

  31. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  32. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  34. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  35. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  36. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  37. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 2,
2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 1743, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1
rewrites the bill to, instead, provide if a candidate changes treasurers and notifies the registry of election finance of the change, the candidate may continue to use print communication that includes the identification of the former treasurer until the
print communication is exhausted. This amendment defines a "print communication" as a physical sign, placard, pamphlet, flyer, sticker, or other physical material used for a communication, and does not include an audio, video, or digital comm
unication.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1743
By Rudd

SENATE BILL 1757
By Briggs
SB1757
011109
- 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, Section 2-5-151(c), is amended by adding
the following new sentence between the first and second sentences:
The commission may notify the individual or individuals filing the petition of a defect in
the documentation.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.