EAIElectoral Access Index

The statute establishes balanced political composition (4 majority, 3 minority members), which partially addresses independence through diversity. However, the text does not specify appointment mechanisms across multiple branches, does not define fixed terms, and does not establish independence safeguards beyond party balance. The nomination process via joint senate-house caucus suggests legislative control but lacks detail on selection authority and insulation from political pressure.

“Four (4) members of the commission shall be members of the majority party, and three (3) members of the commission shall be members of the minority party.”

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: § 2-6-201 addresses absentee voting methods and eligibility for mail voting within existing voter categories; it does not establish or reference minimum age or residency requirements for voting itself. The section presumes voters are already 'registered voters' but does not set constitutional-level age or residency standards. Constitutional voting qualifications would appear in the state constitution or foundational voting statutes (like § 2-2-xxx registration rules), not in an absentee procedures statute.

The statute codifies both the disqualification criterion (conviction of this offense or bribery under § 39-16-102) and the duration ('forever afterwards') in statutory language. However, the disqualification is permanent with no statutory restoration procedure specified, which prevents a score of 3. The procedural clarity is high: the basis for disqualification and its permanence are explicitly enumerated in statute rather than left to administrative discretion.

“Any person convicted of such offense shall forever afterwards be disqualified from holding any office under the laws or constitution of this state.”

The statute enumerates what triggers restoration (pardon, full citizenship restoration) but provides no codified deadlines, automatic restoration mechanisms, or administrative procedures. Restoration is discretionary with the governor and depends on executive clemency, not statutory right. No cure or appeal pathway is specified if restoration is denied.

“However, the governor may attach to any such pardon a special condition that such person shall not have the right of suffrage until a date certain in the future, or until the expiration of the pardoned sentence, whichever period of time is less.”

The identification requirement is explicitly set in statute, not left to regulation or administrative discretion. The statute clearly mandates presentation of photo identification bearing the voter's name and photograph, with enumerated exceptions for specific voting methods (absentee and mail voting). This satisfies the statutory grounding criterion.

“In addition, the voter shall present to the precinct registrar one (1) form of identification that bears the name and photograph of the voter.”

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: The statute requires photo ID but explicitly delegates enumeration of acceptable forms to subsection (c), which is not included in the provided text. This creates an open-ended reference rather than a statutory enumeration in this section, leaving the acceptable ID forms to be determined elsewhere—potentially by regulation or administrative discretion rather than by exhaustive legislative listing.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: This section addresses only the physical requirements and location of polling places—heat, light, space, facilities, use of public buildings, and rental of private spaces. It contains no language regarding voter identification requirements, free ID alternatives, or any identification procedure. The criterion concerns ID access; this section is entirely outside the scope of identification policy.

The statute explicitly establishes a cure procedure for voters arriving without ID: they are entitled to vote a provisional ballot. The text also references subsections (e) and (f) for additional procedural details, and earlier passages describe the provisional ballot envelope, affidavit requirements, and the role of the coordinator of elections, all of which are statutorily defined rather than left to administrative discretion. This provides a clear, enumerated cure path set in statute.

“If a voter is unable to present evidence of identification, the voter shall be entitled to vote a provisional ballot pursuant to subsection (e) unless the voter is eligible to vote pursuant to subsection (f).”

No matching sections in corpus.

The statute explicitly defines the registration cutoff deadline in numerically specific terms: 29 days before an election for in-person applications and 30 days before an election for mail registration forms. This rule is set directly in statute, not delegated to regulation or administrative discretion. The deadline is enumerated with clear temporal markers.

“A qualified voter may register or have the voter's registration altered at the commission office at any time the office is open, except that applications for registration shall not be processed for twenty-nine (29) days before an election, except as provided in subsection (b); provided, that a qualified voter may file a mail registration form by postmarking the registration form or submitting the registration form thirty (30) days before an election.”

This section provides a clear statutory procedure for mail registration, including form design requirements and distribution mechanisms. However, it addresses only mail registration and does not enumerate the full universe of available registration methods (in-person, online, motor-voter, automatic, same-day). The criterion requires exhaustive enumeration of all methods; this section addresses only one method and does not indicate whether other methods exist or how they are regulated.

“Qualified voters may register by mail by use of postal card forms in such a manner as provided for in this section. The coordinator of elections shall prepare voter registration forms in accordance with the provisions of this section and shall provide for the printing of an ample quantity of such registration forms to be distributed under the provisions of this section.”

The statute provides a clear appeal procedure (notice to registrant, 10-day appeal right to the commission, appeal form offered) and defines the commission's review process with written reasons. However, it does not define a cure procedure — that is, it does not specify whether or how a registrant may correct or cure deficiencies in an incomplete registration before rejection becomes final. The statute only provides post-rejection appeal, not pre-rejection remediation. For the criterion to be fully satisfied, the statute must enumerate a defined opportunity to cure the incomplete registration (e.g., notice of deficiency, time to cure, specific submission requirements), which is absent here.

“the administrator shall tell the registrant the reason, write the reason on the back of the original permanent registration record, and file the original and the duplicate alphabetically in a binder of rejected registrations. The administrator shall tell the registrant that the registrant has a right to appeal the decision to the commission within ten (10) days and offer the registrant an appeal form.”

The statute explicitly grants the registrant a statutorily-codified right to appeal a rejection decision to the commission within a defined 10-day window, with a mandatory appeal form offer and final administrative review by the commission. The procedure is enumerated in statute with clear timeline and reviewing body.

“The administrator shall tell the registrant that the registrant has a right to appeal the decision to the commission within ten (10) days and offer the registrant an appeal form. The action of the commission on the registrant's application for registration on appeal shall be a final administrative action.”

The statute explicitly enumerates all criteria for voter roll purge in codified law, including death, change of address, name change, conviction, and voter request. These criteria are set forth directly in statutory language rather than delegated to regulation or administrative discretion, and the section includes procedural safeguards (address verification program, confirmation notice, cure opportunities) that demonstrate statutory grounding of the removal process itself.

“The registration of a person shall be purged: At the request of the voter; Ninety (90) days after a change of name for any reason, except by marriage or divorce; If the voter dies; Upon receiving information that a person has been convicted of an infamous crime as defined by § 40-20-112 from the state coordinator of elections, the district attorney general, United States attorney, clerk of the court that entered the conviction, or other source upon verification by the clerk of the convicting court; or Upon written confirmation from the voter that the voter has changed the voter's address to an address outside the county of registration or has registered to vote in another jurisdiction.”

The statute requires mandatory pre-purge notice via forwardable confirmation notice mailed to the voter's registered address, with a prepaid return form allowing the voter to respond. The statute then enumerates specific cure outcomes based on voter response or non-response, including a defined period (up to the second regular November election following notice) during which non-responsive voters may still vote via affidavit if they appear at their polling place. This provides both clear statutory notice requirement and a defined cure/opportunity-to-respond procedure.

“If, as a result of the address verification program, the county election commission determines that a voter may have changed the voter's address of residence, the administrator of elections shall mail a forwardable confirmation notice to the voter at the address of registration with a postage prepaid, pre-addressed return form on which the voter may verify or correct the new address information. Upon the mailing of a notice pursuant to subsection (c), the administrator of elections shall place the registration in inactive status and then take one (1) of the following steps as appropriate to the response of the voter or the failure of the voter to respond to the notice: If the voter returns the form or otherwise notifies the election commission in writing and indicates that there is in fact no change in address, the voter's registration will be returned to active status”

The statute mandates a unique identifier system and confidentiality protections, but does not codify encryption requirements, breach notification procedures, or access logging standards. These critical data security elements are left unaddressed, making the security regime incomplete and potentially delegated to administrative discretion (the coordinator may 'promulgate policies or rules').

“The online voter registration system shall use a unique identifier for each applicant to prevent unauthorized persons from altering a voter's registration information. Any unique identifier, including driver license and social security numbers, shall be confidential and not subject to the open records law, compiled in title 10, chapter 7.”

No matching sections in corpus.

Tennessee statute explicitly codifies the right of disabled and illiterate voters to be assisted by a person of their own selection, and enumerates the permissible assistance methods and oversight requirements (presence of judges/officials from different parties). The statute also addresses who may not assist (those convicted of voter fraud), establishing a clear, statutorily-grounded procedure rather than leaving the matter to administrative discretion.

“A voter who claims, by reason of illiteracy or physical disability other than blindness, to be unable to mark the ballot to vote as the voter wishes and who, in the judgment of the officer of elections, is so disabled or illiterate, may: Where voting machines are used, have the ballot marked on a voting machine or on a paper ballot subject to the provisions of § 2-7-117 by any person of the voter's selection, or by one of the judges of the voter's choice in the presence of either a judge of a different political party or, if such judge is not available, an election official of a different political party; or Where voting machines are not used, have the ballot marked by any person of the voter's selection or by one of the judges of the voter's choice in the presence of either a judge of a different political party or, if such judge is not available, an election official of a different political party.”

The statute clearly codifies assistance for illiterate voters in statutory language, enumerates the permitted assistants (voter's selection or judges of opposite party), specifies the procedural safeguard (presence of judge or official of different party), and requires a certified record. The procedure is exhaustively set out rather than left to administrative discretion, and ballot-secrecy protection is embedded in the witness-requirement.

“A voter who claims, by reason of illiteracy or physical disability other than blindness, to be unable to mark the ballot to vote as the voter wishes and who, in the judgment of the officer of elections, is so disabled or illiterate, may: Where voting machines are used, have the ballot marked on a voting machine or on a paper ballot subject to the provisions of § 2-7-117 by any person of the voter's selection, or by one of the judges of the voter's choice in the presence of either a judge of a different political party or, if such judge is not available, an election official of a different political party; or Where voting machines are not used, have the ballot marked by any person of the voter's selection or by one of the judges of the voter's choice in the presence of either a judge of a different political party or, if such judge is not available, an election official of a different political party. The officer of elections shall keep a record of each such declaration, including the name of the voter and of the person marking the ballot and, if marked by a judge, the name of the judge or other official in whose presence the ballot was marked. The record shall be certified and kept with the poll books on forms to be provided by the coordinator of elections.”

The statute explicitly sets polling-place hours by law rather than delegating to administrative discretion. Opening and closing times are enumerated by statute, with closing times fixed by time zone (8:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Central) and minimum opening windows specified (10–13 continuous hours). While the county commission has limited discretion to set a uniform opening time within the statutory bounds, the outer parameters are statutory, not discretionary.

“Polling places shall be open for voting for a minimum of ten (10) continuous hours but no more than thirteen (13) hours. All polling places in counties in the eastern time zone shall close at eight o'clock p.m. (8:00 p.m.) prevailing time and polling places in counties in the central time zone shall close at seven o'clock p.m. (7:00 p.m.) prevailing time.”

This section addresses only one narrow procedural element—permitting assistance in filling out the application—but does not codify the full mail-in voting procedure. The statute does not enumerate application deadlines, return procedures, signature verification standards, or cure mechanisms for rejected ballots. Material procedural steps remain unstated or potentially left to administrative discretion.

“The voter may have anyone the voter chooses write the voter's request for an absentee ballot or for an absentee voting by mail application or write out the voter's absentee voting by mail application except for the voter's signature or mark.”

This section codifies emergency absentee voting eligibility (hospitalization within 20 days of election), application procedure (request within 20 days or by poll opening), and material delivery requirements (application, ballot, registration duplicate, envelope). The framework is set by statute with enumerated procedures for emergency registrar designation, appointment timing limits (15 days before election), ballot witnessing requirements, and required materials. The procedure is clearly defined with specific time windows and administrative responsibilities.

“The county election commission may designate emergency registrars who shall have the responsibility of supplying ballots to and receiving ballots from persons who have been hospitalized in their county of residence within twenty (20) days of an election when such persons will be unable to vote in person on election day. The county election commission may appoint the hospital administrator to act as an emergency registrar for any person who is a patient in that hospital due to an emergency; provided, that no such appointment shall be made more than fifteen (15) days before the election. Any ballots cast in accordance with this section shall be witnessed by a voter registered in the county. A registered voter eligible to request the services of an emergency registrar shall make such a request not more than twenty (20) days before the election and no later than the opening of the polls on election day. Upon receiving a bona fide request for the services of an emergency registrar, the county election commission shall direct an emergency registrar to provide the following materials to such person: An application; A paper ballot or ballots; A duplicate of the person's permanent voter registration; and An envelope in which to seal the ballot.”

The statute sets the early voting period (minimum 10 and maximum 13 continuous hours) and closing times by time zone directly in statutory text. The opening time procedure (county election commission must determine uniform time at least 15 days before election) is also statutorily defined, providing clear enumeration of the rules governing when convenient voting centers operate. This satisfies the procedural-clarity criterion.

“Convenient voting centers shall be open for voting for a minimum of ten (10) continuous hours but no more than thirteen (13) hours. All convenient voting centers in the eastern time zone shall close at eight o'clock p.m. (8:00 p.m.), prevailing time, and convenient voting centers in the central time zone shall close at seven o'clock p.m. (7:00 p.m.) prevailing time. At least fifteen (15) days before the date of each election, the county election commission shall determine a uniform time for the opening of all convenient voting centers.”

No matching sections in corpus.

The statute grants an explicit right to vote a provisional ballot and enumerates specific triggering conditions (eligibility cannot be determined, registration official's assertion of non-registration, or voter request under another statute). It requires completion of a provisional ballot envelope with a detachable affidavit containing specified voter information, and references adjudication procedures in § 2-7-114(b) and (c), thereby codifying both the right and a defined process in statute rather than leaving it to administrative discretion.

“A person shall be entitled to vote a provisional ballot under the procedures of this section if the voter claims to be properly registered in the county and eligible to vote at the precinct in the election, but whose eligibility cannot be determined by the computer signature list or by examination of the permanent registration records on file with the county election commission; an election official asserts the individual is not registered to vote; or the voter has requested a ballot pursuant to § 2-6-202. If a voter is unable to present evidence of identification, the voter shall be entitled to vote a provisional ballot pursuant to subsection (e) unless the voter is eligible to vote pursuant to subsection (f).”