Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SB1211 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	HOUSE BILL 937
3	3	By Glynn
4	4
5	5	SENATE BILL 1211
6	6	By Oliver
7	7
8	8
9	9	SB1211
10	10	001097
11	11	- 1 -
12	12
13	13	AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2;
14	14	Title 40 and Title 41, relative to voting rights.
15	15
16	16	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
17	17	SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-2-106, is amended by deleting
18	18	subsection (a) and substituting:
19	19	(a) The registration of a person is purged:
20	20	(1) At the request of the voter;
21	21	(2) Ninety (90) days after a name change for any reason, except by
22	22	marriage or divorce;
23	23	(3) If the voter dies; or
24	24	(4) Upon written confirmation from the voter that the voter has changed
25	25	the voter's address to an address outside the county of registration or has
26	26	registered to vote in another jurisdiction.
27	27	SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-2-106, is amended by adding the
28	28	following as new subsections:
29	29	(i) Upon receiving information that a person has been convicted of an infamous
30	30	crime as defined by § 40-20-112 from the state coordinator of elections, the district
31	31	attorney general, United States attorney, clerk of the court that entered the conviction, or
32	32	other source upon verification by the clerk of the convicting court, the administrator of
33	33	elections shall place the registration in suspended status.
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38	38	(j) Voter registrations that are suspended pursuant to subsection (i) are not
39	39	included in a county's total of registered voters. The administrator of elections shall
40	40	report suspended voter registrations to the state coordinator of elections.
41	41	(k) The state coordinator of elections shall maintain a list of suspended voter
42	42	registrations and a list of restored voter registrations.
43	43	SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-2-116(12), is amended by deleting
44	44	"had your full rights of citizenship restored by a court" and substituting "a certificate of final
45	45	discharge from supervision".
46	46	SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-2-139, is amended by deleting the
47	47	section and substituting instead the following:
48	48	(a) A person who has temporarily forfeited the right to suffrage because of a
49	49	conviction of an infamous crime is eligible to vote automatically upon confirmation that:
50	50	(1) The person has completed the sentence imposed upon conviction for
51	51	an infamous crime, including any parole or probationary period; or
52	52	(2) An appellate court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final
53	53	judgment reversing the person's conviction of all infamous crimes.
54	54	(b) For purposes of subsection (a), a certificate of final discharge from
55	55	supervision or a certified copy of a judgment of an appellate court of competent
56	56	jurisdiction is sufficient proof to the administrator that the person fulfills the above
57	57	requirements as to the offense specified on the certificate of final discharge or judgment.
58	58	(c) The state coordinator of elections shall formulate a uniform procedure for
59	59	automatically verifying the registration eligibility of any person convicted of an infamous
60	60	crime and updating the appropriate administrator of elections of any changes to the
61	61	suspended voter registration list under § 2-2-106. Upon receiving sufficient verification
62	62	of the person's eligibility to register, the administrator must allow the person to become a
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67	67	registered voter or reactivate the person's voter registration in the same manner and in
68	68	accordance with the same laws or rules as any other citizen of this state.
69	69	SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-11-202(a), is amended by deleting
70	70	subdivisions (16) and (17) and substituting instead:
71	71	(16)
72	72	(A) Devise and furnish to the clerks of the circuit and criminal courts a
73	73	form to be used for notifying county election commissions of the fact that a
74	74	registered voter has been convicted of an infamous crime and therefore has a
75	75	suspended voter registration. The form must include the voter's name, race, date
76	76	of birth, and social security number, if available; and
77	77	(B) Devise and furnish to the department of correction a form to be used
78	78	to notify the county election commissions of the fact that a suspended voter's
79	79	sentence has been completed and the voter is eligible for automatic restoration
80	80	of the voter's right of suffrage pursuant to §§ 2-2-139 and 40-29-202;
81	81	(17) Instruct the administrators in each county to:
82	82	(A) Suspend the registration of any person who is registered to vote in
83	83	the administrator's county when notified that the person has been convicted of an
84	84	infamous crime; and
85	85	(B) Restore to the voting rolls any person whose registration has been
86	86	suspended in the administrator's county when notified that the person has
87	87	completed the sentence or received a copy of the final judgment reversing the
88	88	person's conviction of all infamous crimes;
89	89	SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-11-202(a), is amended by adding
90	90	the following new subdivisions:
91	91
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95	95	(20) Maintain a list of individuals whose right of suffrage has been suspended for
96	96	conviction of an infamous crime;
97	97	(21) Maintain a list of individuals whose right to suffrage has been restored; and
98	98	(22) Develop and implement a program to educate attorneys, judges, election
99	99	officials, appropriate staff under the department of correction, including parole and
100	100	probation officers, and members of the public.
101	101	SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-19-143, is amended by deleting the
102	102	section and substituting:
103	103	(a) A person who has been convicted of an infamous crime, as defined by § 40-
104	104	20-112, is not permitted to register to vote or vote at any election until the person has
105	105	completed the sentence, including any parole or probationary period, pursuant to § 40-
106	106	29-202, or an appellate court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final judgment
107	107	reversing the person's conviction of all infamous crimes.
108	108	(b) A person who has been convicted in another state of a crime or offense
109	109	which would constitute an infamous crime under the laws of this state, regardless of the
110	110	sentence imposed, shall not register to vote or vote at any election in this state until the
111	111	person has completed the sentence, including any parole or probationary period or an
112	112	appellate court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final judgment reversing the
113	113	person's conviction of all infamous crimes.
114	114	SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-20-112, is amended by deleting
115	115	the section and substituting:
116	116	A criminal offense designated as a felony at the time of conviction is an infamous
117	117	crime, and a person convicted of an infamous crime is immediately suspended from
118	118	exercising the right of suffrage. A person so convicted is not disqualified to testify in any
119	119	action, civil or criminal, by reason of having been convicted of any felony, and the fact of
120	120
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124	124	conviction for any felony may only be used as a reflection upon the person's credibility
125	125	as a witness.
126	126	SECTION 9. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-105, is amended by deleting
127	127	subdivision (b)(1)(A) and substituting:
128	128	(A) Receiving a pardon, except where the pardon contains special conditions
129	129	pertaining to the right of suffrage or the right to possess a firearm;
130	130	SECTION 10. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-105(b), is amended by
131	131	deleting subdivisions (3) through (6) and substituting:
132	132	(3) A person eligible for restoration of citizenship pursuant to subdivision (b)(1)
133	133	may request, and then must be issued, a certificate of restoration upon a form
134	134	prescribed by the coordinator of elections, by:
135	135	(A) The pardoning authority; or
136	136	(B) An agent or officer of the supervising or incarcerating authority;
137	137	(4) A person issued a certificate of restoration must submit either a certificate of
138	138	final discharge from the appropriate supervising authority or a certified copy of a
139	139	judgment of an appellate court of competent jurisdiction to the administrator of elections
140	140	of the county to be eligible to vote. Upon receiving a certificate of final discharge from
141	141	the appropriate supervising authority or a certified copy of a judgment of an appellate
142	142	court of competent jurisdiction, the coordinator of elections shall issue a voter
143	143	registration card entitling the person to vote; and
144	144	(5) Before allowing a person convicted of an infamous crime to become a
145	145	registered voter, it is the duty of the administrator of elections in each county to verify
146	146	with the coordinator of elections that the person is eligible to register pursuant to this title
147	147	and title 2.
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151	151
152	152	SECTION 11. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-105(c), is amended by
153	153	deleting subdivision (2) and substituting:
154	154	(2)
155	155	(A) A person receiving a pardon may petition for restoration immediately
156	156	upon receiving the pardon; and
157	157	(B) The department of correction or the appropriate supervising authority
158	158	shall provide a person convicted of an infamous crime a certificate of discharge
159	159	upon the completion of the sentence imposed by the court, including any parole
160	160	or probationary period, for the infamous crime; provided, that a person convicted
161	161	of murder, rape, treason, or voter fraud is ineligible to register and vote in this
162	162	state;
163	163	SECTION 12. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-105(c), is amended by
164	164	deleting subdivisions (6) and (7) and substituting:
165	165	(6) A person whose right to suffrage has been restored pursuant to subdivision
166	166	(c)(2) shall submit a certified copy of the order or certificate of final discharge to the
167	167	administrator of elections of the county in which the person is eligible to vote. The
168	168	administrator of elections shall verify with the coordinator of elections that the certificate
169	169	of discharge was issued and, upon receiving the verification, shall issue the person a
170	170	voter registration card entitling the person to vote; and
171	171	(7) All costs for a proceeding under this subsection (c) to restore a person's
172	172	citizenship rights must be paid by the petitioner unless the court specifically orders
173	173	otherwise.
174	174	SECTION 13. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-202, is amended by deleting
175	175	the section and substituting:
176	176
177	177
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180	180	A person rendered infamous and temporarily deprived of the right of suffrage is
181	181	automatically eligible for the restoration of the right of suffrage upon:
182	182	(1) The completion of the person's sentence, including any parole or
183	183	probationary period, and the person receiving a certificate of final discharge from
184	184	the appropriate supervising authority; or
185	185	(2) An appellate court of competent jurisdiction entering a final judgment
186	186	reversing the person's conviction or convictions of all infamous crimes and the
187	187	person received a certified copy of the judgment.
188	188	SECTION 14. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-203, is amended by deleting
189	189	the section.
190	190	SECTION 15. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-204, is amended by deleting
191	191	subdivisions (2) and (3).
192	192	SECTION 16. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-205, is amended by deleting
193	193	the section.
194	194	SECTION 17. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 41-51-301, is amended by adding
195	195	the following as new subsections:
196	196	(d) The department of correction shall provide an inmate upon the inmate's
197	197	release with:
198	198	(1) A certificate of final discharge pursuant to § 40-29-202;
199	199	(2) Written information on how to register to vote;
200	200	(3) The amount of restitution to the victim of the offense owed by the
201	201	inmate;
202	202	(4) The amount of court costs owed by the inmate; and
203	203	(5) The amount of child support owed by the inmate.
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208	208	(e) The department of correction shall provide a copy of the documentation
209	209	under subdivision (d)(1) to the state coordinator of elections who shall update the
210	210	appropriate administrator of elections pursuant to § 2-2-139.
211	211	SECTION 18. On or before January 1, 2026, the coordinator of elections shall send a
212	212	certified letter and a voter registration application to the last known address of each person who
213	213	had a felony conviction after January 14, 1973, but prior to May 18, 1981, informing the person
214	214	that the person is eligible to vote, never lost the right to vote in this state, and does not need to
215	215	have the person's rights restored.
216	216	SECTION 19. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.