Tennessee § 6-31-101 - Method of electing governing body.

§ 6-31-101. Method of electing governing body.

All corporate, legislative, and other powers of the city, except as otherwise provided in chapters 30-36 of this title, shall be vested in a council, and the council shall be composed of members to be elected as provided in this section: One (1) member of the council shall be elected from each voting precinct of the incorporated area, to be voted on exclusively by the members of that particular voting precinct, and no person not a resident of the voting precinct shall be eligible to run for the office of council member from that voting precinct. In the event the incorporated area takes in a portion or a part of a voting precinct, that portion or part shall be considered, so far as this section is concerned, as a complete voting precinct. For the purposes of complying with chapter 30 of this title, each voting precinct shall be known as a councilmanic district. If an area to be incorporated, or that has been incorporated under chapters 30-36 of this title, lies in two (2) or more counties, the county election commissions of the counties in which the area lies shall jointly conduct elections under chapters 30-36 of this title. If the area to be incorporated includes inactive voting precincts or portions of inactive voting precincts, or both, the inactive voting precinct or portions of the inactive precincts, or both, shall be included in a contiguous voting precinct. An inactive precinct is one in which a general state election has not been held for five (5) years prior to the date of filing the petition for incorporation. In no event shall the membership of the council be less than seven (7), and in the event there are not sufficient voting precincts to elect a minimum of seven (7) members, the additional members of the council shall be elected at large. Council members from the city at large shall be voted on by the electors in all voting precincts. Any city operating under this charter may elect all such council members from the city at large, at its option. The option may be exercised by a private act of the general assembly providing for such when ratified as provided for by article XI, § 9 of the Constitution of Tennessee. Election to the board of education shall be as provided in chapter 36 of this title. Acts 1957, ch. 238, § 3.01; 1959, ch. 321, § 1; 1969, ch. 322, § 1; 1972, ch. 740, § 4(49); T.C.A., § 6-3101. Law Reviews. Local Government Law — 1959 Tennessee Survey, 12 Vand. L. Rev. 1257 (1959). Two Claims, Two Keys—Overcoming Tennessee's Dual-Majority Voting Mechanism to Facilitate Consolidation Between Memphis City and Shelby County (D. Eric Setterlund), 41 U. Mem. L. Rev. 933 (2011).