Technology (Elections)

HB 457, now law as Public Chapter 371, amends Tennessee election procedures to enhance security and transparency. It requires county election commissions to publish the location of provisional counting boards and prohibits them from tabulating marked ballots submitted online or using internet-connected voting machines. The bill also adds a provision allowing commissions to notify petitioners of defects in their documentation. These changes directly affect county election commissions and impact how voting is processed and secured in Tennessee elections. The law focuses on preventing internet-related vulnerabilities in the voting process.

SB 626 amends Tennessee's election laws to require county election commissions to publish locations of provisional counting boards and prohibit tabulating marked ballots submitted online. It also bans voting machines from connecting to the internet, directly affecting how counties manage ballot processing and voting technology. The bill makes these specific procedural changes to election administration without altering voter eligibility or ballot access. Signed by the governor on May 5, 2025, it became effective May 13, 2025.

HB 139 prohibits the use of voting machines or equipment to cast, receive, or transmit election ballots over the internet, except for military personnel and citizens living abroad. The bill amends Tennessee election law (TCA Title 2, Chapters 6 and 9) to require that all voting equipment must not transmit or receive ballots via the internet. This directly affects all voters in Tennessee elections who would otherwise use internet-connected voting systems, with the exception of eligible military and overseas voters covered under existing provisions. The law aims to restrict internet-based ballot transmission through official voting equipment, maintaining traditional voting methods.

SB 159 prohibits most voters from casting ballots using voting machines or equipment connected to the internet, amending Tennessee election laws to ban internet-based ballot transmission. The bill directly affects all Tennessee voters except military personnel and citizens living overseas, who retain existing internet voting options under current law. Key provisions add a new rule requiring voting equipment to block internet ballot transmission, except for authorized military and overseas voters. This change aims to restrict internet voting access for the general electorate while preserving existing exceptions.

SB 645, a Tennessee legislative bill that was withdrawn on March 25, 2025, would have made three key changes to voting rules. It would have banned online voting for most voters (except military and overseas citizens who already have specific provisions), prohibited using post office boxes for voter registration or voting addresses, and required voters who moved counties within Tennessee to vote based on their current residence without needing to update registration. The bill directly affected all Tennessee voters by altering how they register, establish residency, and cast ballots. It amended Tennessee Code Annotated Title 2, specifically sections on voting equipment, address requirements, and residency voting rules.