Tennessee

Find nonpartisan voter education and local coverage for Tennessee. A summary of Tennessee voting rules is below, and each county on the map has its own page.

Explore Tennessee Counties

Loading the county map…

All 95 Tennessee counties (A–Z)

Voting in Tennessee

Voting rules are set by each state. This is a summary of Tennessee voting rules, checked Nov. 4, 2026, from Vote.gov (U.S. government), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and Ballotpedia. Rules and dates can change, so confirm with Tennessee’s official election website or your local election office before each election.

Registering to vote

Online: by 30 days before Election Day.
By mail: must be postmarked 30 days before Election Day.
In person: by 30 days before Election Day.
Register or check your registration (Tennessee on Vote.gov)

Primary elections

Tennessee has closed primaries: only voters registered with a party can vote in that party’s primary.

Voter ID

Tennessee requires a photo ID to vote in person. If you don’t have acceptable ID, you can vote a provisional ballot, but you must take extra steps after Election Day (such as showing ID at the election office) for it to count.

Early voting

Starts: Twenty days before election. Ends: Five days before election (seven days for a presidential preference primary). Locations and hours are set locally.

Voting by mail

Tennessee requires an approved reason (excuse) to vote by absentee/mail ballot. Check the state’s list of qualifying reasons.

Your local election office

Find contact information for your local election office on Tennessee’s official election website.

Sources: Vote.gov (registration deadlines); NCSL voter ID (updated Sept. 3, 2026), early voting (updated Aug. 11, 2026) and absentee voting (updated July 17, 2026); Ballotpedia primary types (as of Aug. 2026).