VOTER REGISTRATION INFORMATION


IN PERSON – You may register to vote in person at the Election Commission office.  I.D with proof of residency in Grainger County is required before you can register. Registration is not transferable from county to county in Tennessee.  You must be 18 yrs. of age on or before the next election, a citizen of the United States, and must not have been convicted of a felony.  You DO NOT register in Tennessee by either Democrat or Republican.   Our office is located at:  7701 Rutledge Pike, Rutledge, TN.  Office hours are from 8:30 to 4:30 Monday – Friday.

ONLINE – Tennessee offers Online Voter Registration.  Please go to GoVoteTN.gov and follow the directions.  Voter Registration Deadlines are the same with Online Registration as with mail-in or in-person registration.

NVRA AGENCIES – In Person registration is also available at these agencies:  Safety Dept., Health Dept., Dept. of Human Services.  Applications from these agencies will be mailed to our office for processing.  You are not a registered voter until you receive your card. 

BY MAIL – Public libraries, high schools, office of County Clerk and Register of Deeds will have by-mail forms.   Our office supplies all post offices in our county with by–mail forms, with the exception of Rutledge, since our office is close by.  You can print a by-mail form from the state website at the following address:  www.state.tn.us/sos/election.  A person who registers by-mail must vote in person the first time you vote.  To check your voter registration status and polling place information Click Here.

FEDERAL POST CARD APPLICATIONS (STANDARD FORM 76)
This form is used by Uniformed Services Voters, U.S. Citizen temporarily residing outside the U.S, or an eligible spouse or dependent. The form serves as an application for temporary registration, if they are not currently registered, and an application for an absentee ballot. Click Here for website to access form.

FILING A TIMELY REGISTRATION APPLICATION – Before any election there is deadline in which you must apply in person or by-mail to register.  Applications will not be processed for (29) days before the election.  A qualified voter may file a mail registration form by postmarking the registration form or submitting the form (30) days before an election. 

CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR NAME – It is important to keep your address information current. Your address determines what precinct you will vote in. You may come to our office and update in person, or you may complete a by-mail form and mail to us, or you can simply send in your old voter’s card with the information filled out on the back of the card with your signature.  We need your signature to make any change on your registration, so requesting a change on the phone is not an option. If you wait until Election Day to update, you will need to complete additional paperwork before you can vote, and depending on your address, you may be sent to a different precinct to vote.

PURGING  –  The registration of a person shall be purged as soon as the Election Commission has knowledge of any of the following facts. If a person:

  • Requests to be purged
  • Fails to notify the commission within ninety (90) days of a change of name for any reason, except by marriage, or divorce
  • Fails to respond to a confirmation notice from the election commission and then has not voted or appeared to vote in two (2) or more consecutive November elections for Federal office
  • Dies
  • Is convicted of any infamous crime (felony)
  • Is not a U.S. citizen
  • Moves outside of the county of registration