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.
This bill creates a new voter-eligibility verification process for Tennessee election administrators. It directs the coordinator of elections, working with the Department of Safety, to build a secure electronic portal by January 1, 2028 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 create a separate secure portal to check whether an applicant is ineligible to vote because of a Tennessee felony conviction, or alternatively whether the person is eligible to vote.
The bill requires the state to define what information may be submitted, how results will be returned, what happens when no record or multiple records are found, and what temporary backup method will be used if a portal is unavailable. It also makes portal communications confidential, limits use of the portals to voter-eligibility verification, and authorizes loss of access for misuse. If an application is rejected based on portal information, the county administrator must give the applicant written notice of the right to appeal under existing election law.
The bill also amends the appeal-notice statute to require that the notice include an appeal form and specify that the appeal must be filed within ten days. In addition, it changes Tennessee law governing expunged records so the TBI may share expunged information with the coordinator of elections, upon request, for voter-eligibility determinations. The new verification part is intended to be funded by federal grant money and does not take effect unless sufficient funding is obtained.
The overall sentiment in committee was strongly supportive, with both Senate committees recommending passage unanimously. The bill appears to have been framed as an administrative and election-integrity measure, and the recorded votes show no opposition at the committee stage.
The main points of potential contention are privacy, data-sharing, and the scope of government access to personal records. The bill authorizes election officials to access citizenship and felony-conviction information through state databases, including expunged information, which may raise concerns about confidentiality, misuse, and the accuracy of records used to deny registration. Supporters are likely to emphasize preventing ineligible registrations and improving verification speed and consistency, while critics may focus on voter access, due process, and the handling of sensitive personal data.
The bill would add a new part to Title 2 establishing state-run electronic portals for county election administrators to verify voter eligibility based on U.S. citizenship and Tennessee felony-conviction status. It also amends the voter-registration appeal process in § 2-2-125 and authorizes the TBI to share expunged information with the coordinator of elections for voter-eligibility determinations, creating a new exception to existing confidentiality limits on expunged records. The measure is contingent on federal grant funding and would not take effect until sufficient funding is secured.
Committee action was unanimously favorable, with the Senate State & Local Government Committee and the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee both recommending passage with no recorded opposition. The bill’s structure suggests it was viewed as a technical election-administration and integrity measure rather than a controversial policy overhaul, although the underlying subject matter is politically sensitive. The absence of recorded dissent indicates broad support at the committee stage.
The most notable areas of contention are likely to be privacy, data security, and the use of state records to screen voters before registration is processed. The bill allows access to citizenship records from the Department of Safety and felony/expungement-related information from the TBI, and it expressly makes portal data confidential while also imposing penalties for misuse. Opponents may question whether the portals could create barriers to registration, whether records are sufficiently accurate and current, and whether sharing expunged information for election purposes is appropriate. Supporters are likely to argue that the portals improve election integrity and help administrators make faster, more reliable eligibility determinations.