Tennessee Senate Bill SB0232

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/21/25
• Engrossed: 3/17/25
• Enrolled: 4/30/26
• Passed: 5/22/26
• Chaptered: 5/27/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 7, relative to polling places.

Summary

SB0232 amends Tennessee election law governing polling places to allow county election commissions to designate restroom facilities in the building where an election is held for use by campaign workers and volunteers. Those campaign workers and volunteers may use the designated restrooms while working outside the polling place, but they are prohibited from entering the polling place itself. Before entering the boundary of the polling place area, they must cover or remove clothing or other items displaying campaign material. The bill also provides that a campaign worker or volunteer who enters the restricted boundary while displaying campaign material, or who attempts to solicit votes within that boundary, may be punished under the existing statute governing electioneering near polling places. The act takes effect July 1, 2026.

Impact

The bill makes a targeted change to Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 7, by creating an express rule for campaign workers and volunteers in election buildings and tying violations to existing penalties under § 2-19-119. It affects county election commissions, campaign staff and volunteers, and polling-place operations by clarifying where campaign-affiliated individuals may go and what they must do before entering restricted areas.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad bipartisan or at least unanimous support in the legislative process, with committee and floor votes showing no opposition. The available voting history suggests the measure was viewed as a practical polling-place management and election administration bill rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record, since all recorded votes were unanimous and no committee transcript is provided. The main policy issue implied by the text is balancing limited access to restroom facilities for campaign workers against maintaining the neutrality and security of the polling place boundary; the bill resolves that by allowing restroom access only outside the polling place and by requiring campaign materials to be covered or removed before entering restricted areas.