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~tate of utennessee
PUBLIC CHAPTER NO. 473
HOUSE BILL NO. 69
By Representatives Lambe~h, Barrett, Doggett, Bulso, Davis, McCalmon, Tim Hicks,
Maberry, Sherrell, Rudd, Reeves, Moody, Eldridge, Terry, Howell, Lafferty, Cepicky, Todd,
Bricken, Zachary, White, Hawk, Alexander, Renea Jones, Powers
Substituted for: Senate Bill No. 133
By Senators Johnson, Yager, Lowe, Stevens
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2; Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 41
and Title 55, relative to determining voter eligibility.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 2, is amended by creating the
following as a new part:
Part 4. Verification of Voter Eligibility.
2-2-401. Verification of eligibility to vote based upon United States citizenship.
(a) The coordinator of elections, in collaboration with the department of safety,
shall, prior to January 1, 2028, create a secure, electronic portal through which each
county administrator of elections may access information to verify, prior to processing an
applicant's application to register to vote, whether the applicant is a United States citizen
based upon records on file at the time of issuance of the most recent driver license or
identification card or other credential from the department of safety.
(b) In order to create the portal in subsection (a), the coordinator of elections and
the department shall enter into an agreement that includes:
(1) The necessary information an administrator must submit through the
portal for an applicant registering to vote in order to ensure that only the correct
applicant's information is produced;
(2) The parameters of information of an applicant that will be produced to
the administrator, including circumstances under which no record is on file or the
information submitted by the administrator through the portal results in multiple
records returned;
(3) Any temporary alternative method for the verification of citizenship by
an administrator in the event that the portal is offline, inaccessible,
malfunctioning, or undergoing maintenance;
(4) Circumstances that constitute misuse of the portal, including, but not
limited to, accessing information not in connection with an active voter
registration application; and
(5) Penalties for misuse of the portal or information from the portal,
including, but not limited to, termination of access for the administrator, other
individual, or the county.
(c) Information sent and received through the portal developed under this section
is confidential and not available for inspection by the public.
(d) If a county administrator rejects an application based upon information
received pursuant to this section, the administrator shall provide written notice to the
applicant of the applicant's right to appeal the decision in accordance with§ 2-2-125.
HB69
2-2-402. Verification of eligibility to vote based upon felony conviction.
(a) The coordinator of elections, in collaboration with the Tennessee bureau of
investigation (TBI), shall, prior to January 1, 2028, create a secure, electronic portal
through which each county administrator of elections may access information to verify,
prior to processing an applicant's application to register to vote, whether the applicant is
ineligible to vote based upon records on file as the result of a Tennessee felony
conviction, or alternatively, whether a person is eligible to vote.
(b) In carrying out subsection (a), the coordinator of elections and TBI:
(1) Shall identify the parameters of information of a person to register to
vote that may be submitted and received through the portal by an administrator;
(2) Shall ensure that, upon submission of such information by an
administrator, the administrator receives accurate and current information
regarding the eligibility status of the person without undue delay;
(3) Shall ensure that the portal has the capacity to respond to a high
volume of daily submissions of information by administrators across this state as
specified by the coordinator of elections; and
(4) May develop a temporary alternative method for the verification of
eligibility by an administrator in the event that the portal is offline, inaccessible,
malfunctioning, or undergoing maintenance.
(c) If a county administrator rejects an application based upon information
received pursuant to this section, the administrator shall provide written notice to the
applicant of the applicant's right to appeal the decision in accordance with § 2-2-125.
(d) Any county administrator who accesses the portal for a purpose other than
verifying a person's eligibility to register to vote or to vote shall lose access to the portal.
In consultation with the coordinator of elections, access may be reinstated at the
discretion of the bureau.
2-2-403. Grant funding.
It is the intent that this part be funded by federal grant funding. This part has no
effect until such sufficient funding has been obtained.
2-2-404. Severability.
If a provision of this part or its application to a person or circumstance is held
invalid, then the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the part that
can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to that end, the
provisions of this part are severable.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-2-125, is amended by deleting
subsection (b) and substituting instead the following:
(b) The administrator shall provide written notice to the registrant that the
registrant has a right to appeal the decision to the commission within ten (1 O) days from
the date the notice was sent. The administrator shall include with such notice an appeal
form.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 38-6-118(d), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(3) Notwithstanding subdivision (d)(1 ), the bureau shall share expunged
information with the coordinator of elections, upon request, for the purposes of
determining a person's eligibility to register to vote or to vote.
SECTION 4. The headings in this act are for reference purposes only and do not
constitute a part of the law enacted by this act. However, the Tennessee Code Commission is
requested to include the headings in any compilation or publication containing this act.
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HB69
SECTION 5. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance
is held invalid, then the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the act that
can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to that end, the provisions of
this act are severable.
SECTION 6. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.
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- - - - HOUSE BILL NO. 69
PASSED: April 21, 2025
CAMEROl't'SEXTON,SPEAKER
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
u. -4- ~~c....\\.~
\ RANDY MCNAL
SPEAKER OF THE SENATE
~ APPROVED this ;J:. I<;.+ day of 2025
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BILL LEE, GOVERNOREvery fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.