*This state requires an excuse to vote by mail. Check out the information below to determine if you are eligible to vote by mail. October 29th is the deadline to request an absentee mail-in ballot. Ballots start being mailed out at different times depending on your county. Call your county election board for more specific information.
Absentee Voting Criteria
You may vote by absentee ballot in Tennessee if:
You will be outside the county of registration during the early voting period and all day on Election Day.
You or your spouse are enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited college or university but outside the county of registration.
You will be unable to vote in person due to service as a juror for a federal or state court.
You are sixty (60) years of age or older.
You have a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place.
You are hospitalized, ill, or physically disabled and because of such condition, cannot vote in person.
You are the caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled.
You are a candidate for office in the election.
You serve as an Election Day official or as a member or employee of Election Day commission.
You will be observing a religious holiday which prevents you from voting in person during the early voting period and on Election Day.
You or your spouse possess a valid commercial drivers license (CDL) or Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) and you certify that you will be working outside the state or county of registration during the early voting period and all day on Election Day.
You are a member of the military or an overseas citizen.
A licensed physician has filed a statement with the county election commission stating that, in the physician’s judgment, you are medically unable to vote in person. The statement must be filed not less than five (5) days before Election Day and signed under the penalty of perjury.
You reside in a licensed facility providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, other than a penal institution, outside the voter’s county of residence.
If you are one of the last two, you can apply to be a permanent absentee voter.
If you have encountered a problem with voting, please call this national nonpartisan hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE.