The first day of early in-person voting and absentee voting by mail for the November 5 general election in Tennessee is Wednesday, October 16.
Early in-person voting is available Monday-Saturday and runs through Thursday, October 31 with times varying by polling location.
Absentee mail-in ballots must be requested by Tuesday, October 29 and be received by voters’ respective election commission no later than the close of polls on Election Day.
Tennessee voters must present a photo identification in order to cast their ballots early or on Election Day.
Acceptable forms of identification include Tennessee-issued driver licenses, U.S. Passports, photo IDs issued by the federal government or the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, U.S. Military photo IDs, and Tennessee handgun carry permits, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office.
Student IDs or out-of-state driver’s licenses are not considered photo identification when voting.
In addition to candidates for local offices, Tennessee’s general election ballot this year also includes statewide presidential and U.S. Senate candidates.
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett recently said there are “more Tennesseans than ever” currently registered to vote in the November 5 general election.
When it comes to the secureness of Tennessee elections, the Volunteer State has consistently led the nation in maintaining the most secure elections, according to the Heritage Foundation’s Election Integrity Scorecard
The Heritage Foundation’s Election Integrity Scorecard grades the election laws and procedures of all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 47 different criteria.
Tennessee’s current score is 90 out of 100 – the highest in the nation. The scorecard is regularly updated as states make reforms and changes to their election laws.
For more information about early in-person voting, absentee voting, or voting on Election Day, visit the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website at https://sos.tn.gov/elections or download the GoVoteTN mobile application.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
As the Democrat leaders always encourage their constituents – “Vote early and often!”