A spokesman for Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett on Tuesday confirmed to The Tennessee Star that 25 voters in Shelby County cast early ballots outside the county’s publicly advertised voting hours, a practice the spokesman said “was not consistent with legal requirements.”
The Star contacted Hargett’s office after a source claimed an early voting location in Cordova opened one hour before the advertised start time so a high school class could vote early. Though the spokesman did not confirm the date or location where the 25 voters were allowed to cast ballots outside normal hours, Hargett’s office confirmed the incident occurred.
“Today we became aware 25 voters in Shelby County were allowed to vote outside the county’s publicly advertised early voting hours,” said the spokesman. “While the voters were eligible to cast ballots, voting must occur during the hours that have been properly noticed in accordance with Tennessee law.”
Hargett’s office told The Star, “Allowing voting outside those hours was not consistent with legal requirements.”
Among the requirements for early voting locations, Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) 2-6-102(a)(1) mandates that early voting must be conducted “within the posted hours not more than twenty (20) days nor less than five (5) days before the day of the election.”
Similarly, TCA 2-6-103 requires designated early voting locations to operate for at least three consecutive hours each weekday, including Saturdays, within a specified statutory window. The law also requires county election commissions to publish notice of voting hours at least 25 days before an election.
“Election officials are expected to administer elections in a uniform and transparent manner,” Hargett’s spokesman told The Star.
He stated, “We take any departure from established procedures seriously and remain committed to ensuring that all voters are treated fairly and that elections are conducted according to Tennessee law.”
Under the new congressional map passed by the Tennessee General Assembly this year, Shelby County is divided into the 5th, 8th, and 9th congressional districts.
Before the split, the 9th Congressional District was entirely within the county. A Republican congressman has not been elected to serve the 9th Congressional District since 1970.
Incumbent U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) announced his retirement following the redistricting. The major party nominees for 2026 are State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) and State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis).
This week, federal prosecutors have alleged that six foreign nationals voted in past Tennessee elections in unrelated cases.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Vote Here” by Lorie Shaull CC2.0.
