Election Laws - As introduced, authorizes senators who have served for at least eight consecutive years and representatives who have served for at least 10 consecutive years to use signatures of registered voters outside of such senator's or representative's district for purposes of completing a nominating petition. - Amends TCA Title 2.

SB 1997 would allow Tennessee state senators with at least eight consecutive years of service and representatives with at least ten consecutive years to collect petition signatures from registered voters outside their specific legislative district, but only within the county where their district is located. This change directly affects long-serving members of the Tennessee General Assembly seeking re-election. The bill modifies election rules by expanding where they can gather required signatures for nomination petitions, moving beyond the current requirement to collect signatures solely within their district. The proposal does not alter voting eligibility or district boundaries but adjusts the signature collection process for eligible candidates.