Tennessee § 6-53-110 - Election districts.

§ 6-53-110. Election districts.

Notwithstanding any other law or charter to the contrary, no member of the legislative body of a municipality, a popularly elected school board, or any other similarly constituted and elected board or commission of a county or municipality shall be elected to such office through an election procedure requiring candidates to be nominated from a district and elected at-large, but such members shall be elected from districts as established by the appropriate county or municipality, which districts shall: Assure representation of substantially equal populations and guarantee the principle of one man/one vote in compliance with the Constitution of the United States; and Be reasonably compact and contiguous and not overlap. Following the establishment of the districts, such districts shall be reapportioned at least as often as districts for the county legislative body of such county are reapportioned to ensure compliance with the limitations prescribed in this section. This section shall apply to all such elections held on and after September 1, 1983. This section shall not apply in any municipality with a population of less than fifty thousand (50,000) persons or in any county with a population of less than ninety thousand (90,000) persons, according to the 1980 federal census or any subsequent federal census. This section shall not apply in any county having a population of not less than eighty-five thousand seven hundred twenty-five (85,725) nor more than eighty-five thousand eight hundred twenty-five (85,825), according to the 1980 federal census or any subsequent federal census. This section shall only apply to local governmental entities that use the election procedure outlined in subsection (a). This section shall have no effect, unless it is approved by a majority of the number of qualified voters of the county or municipality to which it may apply, as the case may be, voting in an election on the question of whether or not this section should be approved. The ballots used in the first regular election held in such county or municipality after May 24, 1983, shall have printed on them the substance of this section and the voters shall vote for or against its approval. The election commission shall place this question on the ballot at the direction of the state election coordinator. The votes cast on the question shall be canvassed and the results proclaimed by the county election commission and certified by it to the secretary of state as provided by law in the case of general elections. The qualifications of voters voting on the question shall be the same as those required for participation in general elections. All laws applicable to general elections shall apply to the determination of the approval or rejection of this section. Acts 1983, ch. 404, §§ 1-3. Compiler's Notes. For tables of population of Tennessee municipalities, and for U.S. decennial populations of Tennessee counties, see Volume 13 and its supplement.