Tennessee

Registered voters in Tennessee must confirm their identity with a photo ID when they vote in person.

You are exempted from such ID requirement if:

• you are a resident of a licensed nursing home or assisted living center where you vote
• you are hospitalized
• you have a religious objection to being photographed
• you are indigent and unable to obtain a photo ID without paying a fee

You must sign a sworn affidavit.

Otherwise, you may cast a provisional ballot. You take additional action for your ballot to count.

In order for your ballot to count, you must bring a valid ID to the election commission office and sign an affidavit before the close of business, two business days after the election.

Get in touch with VoteRiders if you have questions or need free help securing ID.

You do not need a “REAL ID” to vote in Tennessee.

Your driver’s license or state ID card will show a gold star if it meets REAL ID requirements under federal law.

• Tennessee REAL ID info
• Tennessee REAL ID FAQ

Get in touch with VoteRiders if you have questions or need free help securing ID.

No. You must present a physical federal- or state-issued form of identification.

Tennessee voters must meet one of the following excuses to vote absentee:

• You will be outside the county of registration during the early voting period and all day on Election Day
• You or your spouse are enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county of registration
• You are medically unable; your physician must provide a statement to the County Election Commission
• You reside in a licensed facility providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, other than a penal institution, outside your county of residence
• You will be unable to vote in person due to service as a juror for a federal or state court
• You are sixty years of age or older
•  You have a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place
• You are hospitalized, ill or have a physical disability and are unable to appear at your polling place to vote

AND/OR

• You are the caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or has a disability
• You are a candidate for office in the election
• You serve as an Election Day official or as a member or employee of the election commission
• Your observance of a religious holiday prevents you from voting in person during the early voting period and on Election Day
• You or your spouse possesses a valid commercial drivers license (CDL) or you possess a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card and certify that you will be working outside the state or county of registration during the early voting period and all day on Election Day
• You are a member of the military or you are an overseas citizen

You do not need to include a copy of your ID with your absentee ballot request application.

BUT: If it is your first time voting in a federal election in Tennessee, please see the federal ID requirements for first-time voters. A federal election is when you vote for the President, your Congressional Representative or your Senators.

No, but the signature on your mail-in ballot must match your signature on file with the state.

An unsigned absentee ballot will be rejected and placed in an envelope of rejected ballots.

The county election commission will then send a second set of ballot supplies to you, advising that your ballot was refused and informing you of what information was incorrect or missing.

If you return the corrected ballot so that it is received by the time the polls close on Election Day, it will be counted.