Tennessee Senate Bill SB0981

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/5/25
• Engrossed: 4/7/25
• Enrolled: 4/22/25
• Passed: 5/5/25
• Chaptered: 5/13/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 3, Part 3, relative to convenience voting.

Summary

SB0981 amends Tennessee election law in Title 2, Chapter 3, Part 3, which governs convenience voting. The bill adds a new population-based category to Tennessee Code Annotated § 2-3-302(f), allowing a county with a 2020 census population between 64,400 and 64,500 to fall within the statute’s convenience voting provisions. In practical terms, the measure is narrowly tailored to apply to a single county meeting that population range, rather than changing the law statewide in a broad way. Because the bill is framed as an amendment to convenience voting law, its effect is to expand or clarify eligibility for convenience voting options in the qualifying county. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law, reflecting the legislature’s intent for prompt implementation. The bill was enacted as Public Chapter No. 384 and signed by the governor, indicating it became part of Tennessee law in 2025.

Impact

The bill makes a targeted change to Tennessee election administration law by inserting a new population bracket into the convenience voting statute. This creates a county-specific application of the law for counties with populations between 64,400 and 64,500 under the 2020 census or a later census, thereby affecting local election officials, county governments, and voters in the qualifying county. It does not appear to alter the general statewide framework for convenience voting beyond this narrow classification.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests strong bipartisan or at least broad legislative support for the bill. It passed the Senate State & Local Government Committee 9-0 and then passed the floor motion to adopt 31-0, with no recorded opposition in the provided materials. The absence of committee transcript discussion also suggests the measure was not controversial in the recorded proceedings.

Contention

No notable substantive contention is reflected in the provided record. The bill’s narrow population-based drafting could be viewed as a point of interest because it effectively targets a specific county, but there is no evidence in the votes or transcripts of disagreement over that approach. The unanimous committee and floor votes indicate that any concerns, if raised, were not significant enough to produce recorded opposition.