Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Early voting starts October 15, and Tennessee also offers absentee ballots by mail to voters in certain circumstances.
Before you can vote, you have to prove that you live in Tennessee by registering through the mail, in person, or online before or at Monday, October 5, 2020. You need a Tennessee ID to register online, otherwise you’d have to register by mail or in person. To register in the mail, you need to completely fill out the Tennessee Voter Registration Form or the National Voter Registration Form and send it to your local election official. In person, you can ask your local election official for when you need to go, where you need to go, and any questions regarding voting or registering.
They don’t allow registering during Election Day, so register as soon as possible! Remember, you can only register to vote if you’re a US citizen, you live in Tennessee, 18 years before the election or on the election, or gotten your voting rights taken for committing crimes. You can get your voting rights back by filling out the Restoration of Voting Rights form for every crime.
If you’re registered or this isn’t your first time voting in Tennessee, then it’s time to vote, which can be done in the mail or in person, but not online. In person, you can vote on Election Day, but it never hurts to vote early. To vote in person, you’ll need to show your photo ID which can be expired, but college IDs can’t be used. If you can’t bring your ID, then you can vote by filling in a provisional ballot, afterwards you have 2 work days after Election Day to show your photo ID, which will be reviewed by the counting board.
To vote through the mail, you need to fill out the Absentee Ballot Application and send it to your local election official. You should send it as early as you can or before Tuesday, October 27, 2020. When you get your ballot, completely fill it out and give it back. Be sure to send it back before or at Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
If you work for the military, have a family member in the military, or currently overseas, then you can register to vote and get an Absentee Ballot with help from the Federal Post Card Application which can be done though the mail, or depending on your state, you might have other options. You need to fill out the Federal Post Card Application and send it to your election official as early as possible, also provide your email address or phone number so you can ask you some questions. If you don’t get a ballot by 30 days before Election Day after sending the Federal Post Card Application, tell your election official, then fill in the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, sent it to your election official, and when you get the ballot, fill it in and sent it to your election official. If you get your ballot the first time, fill it in and send it as soon as you complete it, either 35 days before the election if you’re on a cruise or a ship at sea, or 30 days before the election if you’re out of the US, or 11 days before the election if you’re in the stateside.
For more help, you can go to Tennessee’s site to find where to vote or get to the Tennessee sample ballot or the Ballotpedia to find out what’s on the ballot. You can also use the Tennessee’s Voter Registration Lookup Tool to see if your record and info is right or use TurboVote to help you get through the long process of voting. If you have any more questions, you can always ask your local election official.
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