AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, relative to elections.
SB2484, titled the “Tennessee Ballot Access Act,” would add a new chapter to Tennessee election law requiring candidates for state, federal, congressional, and presidential-related offices to provide “authentic, documented proof” of eligibility before being placed on a ballot. The bill defines key terms such as candidate, citizen, natural born citizen, and federal office, and it sets out detailed eligibility requirements for ballot access, including age, citizenship, residency, and, for president and vice president, proof of being a “natural born citizen” as the bill defines that term.
The bill also directs political parties, the secretary of state, the state election commission, and county election commissions to verify candidate eligibility. It would bar presidential electors from voting for candidates whose eligibility is in “question or doubt” after July 1, 2026, and it authorizes severe penalties for violations, including removal from office, fines, imprisonment, disqualification from future office, and possible criminal investigation. The act would take effect July 1, 2026, and it states that it applies notwithstanding other laws.
If enacted, SB2484 would significantly alter Tennessee election administration by imposing a new statewide ballot-access verification regime for candidates and political parties. It would require election officials to review and verify documentary proof of eligibility before placing candidates on ballots, and it would create new enforcement consequences for candidates, electors, and parties that submit allegedly ineligible or misleading certifications. The bill would affect Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, and would add a new chapter governing elections, ballot access, and candidate qualification procedures.
The available voting history suggests the bill faced strong opposition and little support in committee. It failed in the Senate State and Local Government Committee by a vote of 1-7 on March 24, 2026. No committee transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed floor or committee debate, but the vote indicates the measure was not broadly embraced by the committee.
The main points of contention are the bill’s expansive and highly prescriptive eligibility-verification requirements, especially its definition of “natural born citizen” for presidential and vice presidential candidates. The bill’s approach to citizenship, ballot access, and party liability appears likely to raise legal and constitutional concerns, including whether a state may impose additional documentary proof requirements or enforce its own interpretation of federal eligibility standards. Its severe penalties, including criminal consequences and party disqualification, are also likely to be controversial among election officials, political parties, and candidates.