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Tennessee elections, 2013
Contents |
| On the 2013 ballot |
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Exceptions include special elections. Find current election news and links here. |
Voting absentee
- See also: Absentee Voting
Eligibility
You are eligible to vote absentee in an election if you cannot make it to the polls on election day for one of the following reasons:
- you will be outside the county of registration during the early voting period and all day on election day;
- you or your spouse is enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county of registration;
- a licensed physician has filed a statement with the county election commission stating that, in the physician's judgment, you are medically unable to vote in person. The statement must be filed not less than five (5) days before the election and signed under the penalty of perjury;
- you reside in a licensed facility providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, other than a penal institution, outside the voter's 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-five (65) years of age or older;
- you have a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place;
- you are hospitalized, ill, or physically disabled and because of such condition, cannot vote in person;
- you are the caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled;
- 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;
- you will be observing a religious holiday which prevents you from voting in person during the early voting period and on election day;
- you possess a valid commercial driver license and you 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 is an overseas citizen.
Deadlines
To vote absentee a request must be received at least seven days prior to the election. The ballot must then be returned by close of polls on election day.
Military and overseas voting
For full details, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program here.
Voting early
- See also: Early voting
Tennessee is one of 33 states that has early voting with no specific requirements as to who can vote early. Early voting begins 20 days before an election and ends 5 days prior to election day. The average number of days prior to an election that voters can cast an early ballot is 21 days in states with a definitive starting date.
Elections Performance Index
Tennessee ranked 17th out of the 50 states and District of Columbia in the Pew Charitable Trusts' Elections Performance Index (EPI), based on the 2010 elections. The EPI examines election administration performance assigning an average percentage score based on 17 indicators of election performance. The indicators were chosen within the framework of determining the convenience and integrity of each of the three administrative phases of an election: registration, voting and counting. Tennessee received an overall score of 68%.[1]
