Tennessee § 2-6-102 - Early voting applications — Ballots — Time for voting.

§ 2-6-102. Early voting applications — Ballots — Time for voting.

A voter who desires to vote early shall go to the county election commission office or another polling place appropriately designated by the county election commission within the posted hours not more than twenty (20) days nor less than five (5) days before the day of the election. A voter desiring to vote in the early voting period shall sign an application for a ballot. The state coordinator shall supply or approve the form of the application for a ballot. Except as provided in subdivision (b)(2), in the case of a regular or special general election not held in conjunction with the regular August or November general elections, or held in conjunction with the May primary called pursuant to § 2-13-203 or the presidential preference primary, if there is no opposition for any of the offices involved, including any write-in candidate that has filed the appropriate notice pursuant to § 2-7-133(i), there shall not be an early voting period. In the case of a May primary called pursuant to § 2-13-203 or a special primary for state or federal offices, if there is no opposition on either primary ballot for any of the offices involved, including any write-in candidate that has filed the appropriate notice pursuant to § 2-8-113(c), there shall not be an early voting period. Subdivision (b)(1) shall not apply to municipal elections held in the largest municipality located in a county having a metropolitan form of government which has a population in excess of five hundred thousand (500,000), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census. Notwithstanding subdivision (a)(1), when a presidential preference primary is held or an election is held at the same time as a presidential preference primary, a voter who desires to vote early for such elections shall go to the county election commission office within the posted hours not more than twenty (20) days nor less than seven (7) days before the day of the election. This subsection (c) shall not apply to voting pursuant to § 2-6-601. [Deleted by 2018 amendment.] Acts 1972, ch. 740, § 1; T.C.A., § 2-609; Acts 1982, ch. 665, § 2; 1991, ch. 69, § 1; T.C.A., § 2-6-109 ; Acts 1994, ch. 859, § 2; 2011, ch. 115, § 1; 2011, ch. 381, § 1; 2012, ch. 1101, § 5; 2016, ch. 650, § 1; 2018, ch. 842, §§ 3-5. Compiler's Notes. For transfer of former section in 1994, see the Compiler's Notes under § 2-6-101 . For tables of population of Tennessee municipalities, and for U.S. decennial populations of Tennessee counties, see Volume 13 and its supplement. Amendments. The 2016 amendment added (d). The 2018 amendment rewrote (b)(1) which read: “(1) Except as provided in subdivision (b)(2), in the case of a municipal election not held in conjunction with any primary election, the regular August or November general elections, or any special primary or special general election for state or federal offices, if there is no opposition, including any write-in candidate that has filed the appropriate notice pursuant to § 2-7-133(i) , for any of the offices involved, there shall not be an early voting period.”; added the last sentence in (c); and deleted former (d) which read: “In the case of a special general election, if there is no opposition, including any write-in candidate that has filed the appropriate notice pursuant to § 2-7-133(i) , for any of the offices involved and no other items are on the ballot, there shall not be an early voting period.” Effective Dates. Acts 2016, ch. 650, § 2. July 1, 2016. Acts 2018, ch. 842, § 6. April 26, 2018. Law Reviews. New Kind of Voter Suppression in Modern Elections, 49 U. Mem. L. Rev. 1019 (Summer 2019).