Tennessee House Bill HB0069

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/7/25
• Refer: 1/16/25
• Refer: 3/11/25
• Refer: 3/19/25
• Refer: 3/25/25
• Refer: 4/17/25
• Engrossed: 4/21/25
• Enrolled: 4/24/25
• Passed: 5/21/25
• Chaptered: 5/27/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2; Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 41 and Title 55, relative to determining voter eligibility.

Summary

HB0069 creates a new voter-eligibility verification framework in Tennessee. It directs the coordinator of elections, working with the Department of Safety, to build a secure electronic portal that county election administrators can use to verify whether a voter-registration applicant is a U.S. citizen based on driver license, identification card, or other state credential records. It also directs the coordinator of elections, working with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, to build a separate secure portal to check whether an applicant is disqualified from voting because of a Tennessee felony conviction, or alternatively to confirm eligibility to vote. The bill requires the state to establish rules for what information county administrators may submit, what information the portal may return, how to handle no-record or multiple-record results, and what temporary backup process will be used if the portal is unavailable. It makes portal data confidential, limits use to voter-eligibility verification, and authorizes loss of access for misuse. If an application is rejected based on portal information, the administrator must provide written notice and an appeal form or appeal rights under existing law. The act is intended to be funded by federal grant money and does not take effect until sufficient funding is obtained.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee election law in Title 2 and also changes related provisions in Title 38 to allow the Bureau of Investigation to share expunged information with the coordinator of elections for voter-eligibility determinations. It adds a new statutory part governing citizenship and felony-conviction verification, revises the notice-and-appeal process for rejected voter registrations, and creates confidentiality and misuse provisions for the new portals. In practical terms, it would give county election officials new state-run tools to screen voter-registration applications before processing them, while also imposing limits and procedural protections around the use of that information.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad support overall, with strong committee and floor votes and no recorded committee opposition in the final stages. It moved through multiple committees with favorable recommendations and passed the House floor decisively, including a 77-18 regular-calendar passage vote and a 72-22 vote on previous-question passage. The vote pattern suggests the measure was generally viewed as a significant but acceptable election-administration reform, though not without some minority opposition.

Contention

The main points of contention are likely the scope of state verification of voter eligibility, especially the use of driver-license citizenship records and felony-related records to screen applicants before registration is processed. Critics may be concerned about privacy, data-sharing, the handling of expunged records, and the possibility of erroneous denials or administrative burdens on county election offices. Supporters appear to emphasize election integrity, faster and more accurate eligibility checks, and standardized statewide procedures, while the bill’s confidentiality, appeal rights, and misuse penalties are designed to address some of those concerns.