sos.tn.gov/newsroom/releases

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett
December 14, 2020

Tennessee’s Electors Cast Electoral College Ballots

Tennessee’s presidential electors met at the State Capitol today to cast their ballots for Donald J. Trump for President of the United States.


“Tennessee’s electors casting ballots in the Electoral College is the last step in our electoral process,” said Secretary Hargett. “Tennessee had a safe, sensible and responsible election, thanks to the hard work and planning by our Division of Elections, the administrators and staff of our 95 county election commissions and all of the poll officials who stepped up to serve in their communities.”

The Volunteer State has 11 of the total 538 electoral votes that make up the U.S. Electoral College. Each state gets two at-large electors and one elector for each congressional district. Tennessee has nine congressional districts.

By law, Tennessee is a winner-take-all state. In the Nov. 3, 2020, general election Donald J. Trump received 1,852,475 votes and Joseph R. Biden 1,143,711 received votes. Therefore, the presidential electors representing Tennessee were those chosen by the Tennessee Republican Party’s executive committee.

The electors who cast Tennessee’s U.S. Electoral College ballots were:

  • Congressional District 1: Paul Chapman
  • Congressional District 2: Cindy Hatcher
  • Congressional District 3: Tina Benkiser
  • Congressional District 4: Dr. John Stanbery
  • Congressional Disrict 5: Beverly Knight-Hurley
  • Congressional District 6: Mary Ann Parks
  • Congressional District 7: Jim Looney
  • Congressional District 8: Kathy Bryson
  • Congressional District 9: Terry Roland
  • At-Large: Scott Smith
  • At-Large: Julia Atchley-Pace

For more information about the 2020 election including official results visit sos.tn.gov.

November 4, 2020

Tennessee Breaks Voter Turnout and Participation Records

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A record-breaking 3,045,401 Tennesseans, or over 68 percent of active and inactive registered voters, cast ballots in-person during early voting and on Election Day or absentee by-mail in the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Voter turnout and participation handily beat the previous record set during the 2008 presidential election when 2,618,238 cast their ballots.

“For months, our office has worked with election commissions and health officials across the state to ensure that in-person voting was clean, safe and secure,” said Secretary Hargett. “Traditionally, Tennesseans prefer to vote in-person. We’ve said it for months, and yet again, voters showed their confidence in the safety precautions in place and their preference to cast a ballot in-person by showing up in record numbers at the polls.”

Counties must submit certified election results to the Division of Elections by Monday, Nov. 23.

Unofficial election results are available on our website at elections.tn.gov.

“We would not have seen the record numbers of voters have such a smooth voting experience during a pandemic without the months and countless hours of planning by Tennessee’s 95 election commissions, administrators, and staff,” said Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins. “Thanks to the roughly 17,000 poll officials who stepped up to serve their communities and carry out all the planning to provide Tennesseans with a safe and secure in-person voting experience.”

Tennessee also broke the early and absentee by-mail turnout record during the two-week early voting period in this election. A comprehensive report of in-person and absentee by-mail turnout during early voting by county with comparisons to 2016 and 2012 is available on GoVoteTN.com.

Follow the Secretary of State’s social media channels for ongoing information about Tennessee elections, Twitter: @SecTreHargett, Facebook: Tennessee Secretary of State and Instagram: @tnsecofstate.

For more information about the Nov. 3 election, go to GoVoteTN.com or call the Division of Elections toll-free at 1-877-850-4959.

October 31, 2020

Everything Voters Need to Know for the November 3 Presidential Election

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Before heading to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3., the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office wants voters to have the information they need to cast their ballot in a safe, clean and secure fashion.

On Election Day, polls open at various times. A list of when polls open in all 95 counties is available on sos.tn.gov. In Tennessee, all polls close at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST.

Tennesseans can access voter specific information like polling times, locations, sample ballots, election results and more with the GoVoteTN app or with the Website App at GoVoteTN.com. Download the GoVoteTN app for free in the App Store or Google Play.

Casting your ballot in the midmorning or midafternoon may shorten your time at the polls. Early morning, noon and 5 p.m. are peak times as people typically vote before work, after work or on their lunch breaks.

Frail, physically disabled or visibly pregnant voters should tell their election officials if they cannot wait in line to vote. The law allows these voters to move through the process faster.

To cast a ballot, voters need to bring valid photo identification. A Tennessee driver license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Tennessee state government or the federal government is acceptable even if it is expired. College student IDs are not acceptable. More information about what types of ID are acceptable can be found on sos.tn.gov or by calling toll free 1-877-850-4959.

State law requires polling locations and the area within a 100-foot boundary of the entrance to remain campaign-free zones. The display or distribution of campaign materials and the solicitation of votes for or against any person, party or question on the ballot within this area are prohibited. Voters wearing campaign-related clothing or paraphernalia will not be allowed within the 100-foot boundary.

While at your polling location, Tennesseans are encouraged to wear a face covering and maintain a six-foot distance from poll officials and other voters. Voters should expect to see signs with further safety instructions. All poll officials will wear face coverings and are trained in social distancing measures.

A video and written plan outlining the precautions being taking for in-person voting during COVID-19 is available on the Secretary of State’s website sos.tn.gov/elections.

On Election Day, voters are encouraged to report possible voter fraud or misinformation to the Division of Elections toll-free at 1-877-850-4959.

For minute-by-minute unofficial results on election night, follow these Twitter accounts:

Unofficial election results will also be posted at elections.tn.gov.

Approximately 2.3 million Tennesseans voted in-person or absentee by-mail during the two-week early voting period smashing all prior early voting records, which ended Thursday, Oct. 29. A comprehensive report of turnout by county with comparisons to 2016 and 2012 is available on GoVoteTN.com.

For the latest information on Election Day in Tennessee, follow the Secretary of State’s social media channels Twitter: @SecTreHargett, Facebook: Tennessee Secretary of State and Instagram: @tnsecofstate.

Voters with questions or concerns about the election can go to GoVoteTN.com or call the Division of Elections toll-free at 1-877-850-4959.

October 14, 2020

Early Voting for the Nov. 3 Election Starts Tomorrow

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Early voting for the Nov. 3 State and Federal Primary and County General election starts tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 14. Early voting runs Monday to Saturday until Thursday, Oct. 29.

Early voting offers Tennesseans the flexibility of evening and Saturday hours, along with multiple polling locations in many counties. The first and last days of early voting are normally peak days. Voters looking to avoid the busiest days of early voting should plan to vote on days other than the first and last day of early voting.

Tennessee voters can find their early voting and Election Day hours, polling locations, view and mark sample ballots and much more with the GoVoteTN app or online at GoVoteTN.com. The GoVoteTN app is free to download in the App Store or Google Play.

“Early voting offers Tennesseans the flexibility to choose their location and time to cast a ballot,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “I encourage voters to do their part by wearing a face covering while taking advantage of Tennessee’s generous early voting period.”

Voters need to bring valid (may or may not be current) photo identification to the polls. A Tennessee driver license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Tennessee state government or the federal government are acceptable even if they are expired. College student IDs are not acceptable. More information about what types of ID are acceptable can be found on sos.tn.gov by calling toll free 1-877-850-4959.

Tennessee state law requires polling locations and the area within a 100-foot boundary surrounding each entrance to remain campaign-free zones. This includes the display or distribution of campaign materials and the solicitation of votes for or against any person, party or question on the ballot in these areas. Voters wearing campaign-related clothing or paraphernalia will not be allowed within the 100-foot boundary.

During early voting and on Election Day, Tennesseans are encouraged to wear a face covering and maintaining a six-foot distance from poll officials and other voters. Voters should expect to see signs with further safety instructions at their polling locations. All poll officials will be wearing face coverings and will be trained in social distancing measures.

The voter registration deadline to participate in the November election was Monday, Oct. 5. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

For the latest information on the Nov. 3 election, follow our social media channels Twitter: @SecTreHargett, Facebook: Tennessee Secretary of State and Instagram: @tnsecofstate.

For more information about early voting in Tennessee, visit GoVoteTN.com or call the Division of Elections toll-free at 1-877-850-4959.