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Knox County Tennesee

Voter's Information

(Click on links below for more information)

 

"All forms on this website are provided for convenient access only .  It is not intended for use to submit them to the Knox Co. Election Commission by e-mail.  You must print the form out, fill it out completely and correctly, sign, and then regular mail to our provided address."

 Voter Registration
There are several ways in which a person may register to vote in the state of Tennessee. You may register in person, by mail, or at one of the motor voter registration locations. It is illegal to be registered in more than one county at a time.

Eligibility
To be eligible to register to vote in Tennessee you must:
- Be a citizen of the United States
- Be a resident of the state of Tennessee
- Be at least 18 years old on or before the next election
- Not have been convicted of a felony or, if convicted, have had your citizenship restored or have received a pardon.

Registration by Mail
You may register by mail and a voter's card will be sent to you. The mail forms are available at all area post offices as well as at some banks and branch libraries. If you register by mail, you must vote in person the first time.

To register in time to vote, your application must either be postmarked or delivered to your local election office at least 30 days prior to an election.

Federal mail-in forms are available in all states. The form may be used for any state as long as the necessary information has been completed. The federal form has instructions and a mailing address for each state.

Registration in Person
You may register in person at the Election Commission office, 300 Main Avenue, in downtown Knoxville.

Under the new Motor Voter Act you may also register at the following locations:
- County Clerk offices
- Tennessee Highway Patrol offices
- Health Department offices
- Register of Deeds office
- Human Service Department offices
- Libraries

The Motor Voter Act protects a person's privacy regarding where they registered to vote. The information may not be released to anyone and will not affect the services received.

Absentee Voting
Who May Vote By Absentee Ballot
Voters who will be absent during the early voting period and on election day and voters who cannot reach their polling place due to incapacity may vote absentee. Applications for an absentee ballot may be made at the office of the Knox County Election Commission or by mail. Time periods allowed for voting absentee are published in the local newspaper. This information is also available by calling the Election Commission. Persons who will be out-of-town on election day may take advantage of early voting.

Absentee Voting By Mail
If you meet one of the following criteria listed below, click here to print the Request For Absentee Ballot.

1. Will be out of the county during the early voting period and will not return before the polls close on election day.
2. Will be out of the country during the early voting period and will not return before the polls close on election day.
3. Persons who are currently over the age of 65.
4. Persons who are physically disabled and have filed a doctor's statement verifying their disability.
5. Full time students (or the spouse of a student) attending a school inside or outside Tennessee and outside the county in which they are registered.
6. Handicapped voters whose polling place is inaccessible.
7. Persons who are unable to appear during the early voting period or at their polling place on election day due to serving on a state or federal court jury.
8. Candidates for an office in the election.
9. Election officials or members of the election commission.
10. Members of the armed forces stationed outside their county.

Permanent Absentee
Each Election Commission office maintains a permanent absentee ballot list. This is a list of persons who have filed a letter of request to be placed on the absentee list and who have filed a doctor's statement verifying the need for an absentee ballot due to a disability. These voters remain on this list and are automatically mailed an application for each election. If the voter wishes to vote in the election, he or she signs the application, marks a party preference if needed, and then returns the application to the Election Commission office. The voter is then mailed an absentee ballot. Each election commission office has a program that places any licensed nursing home on a voting list. The Election Commission sends two election officials to take the ballots of residents on the voting list. The two officials are of different political parties should the residents require assistance such as reading or marking their ballots. The ballots are marked at the nursing home, returned to the Election Commission office, locked in a ballot box until election day, then they are opened and the votes are counted on election day.

Nonresident Property Owners in City of Knoxville
The following information is for current City of Knoxville property qualified voters and for those that want to become property qualified voters and participate in city elections. In order to be a property qualified voter you must own real property in the city limits of Knoxville and have completed a voter registration form using the address of that property.

Those that are eligible to register as property qualified voters must:

1) Own fee simple interest in real property within the city limits at the time of registration and at the time of the election. The following guidelines pertain to different types of ownership:

A) Individuals - A natural person, and not a corporation or other legally created entity, may register and vote as a non-resident property owner.

B) Partnership – A named partner of the partnership whose name appears on the deed may register and vote.

C) Limited Partnership – The general partner of the limited partnership whose name appears on the deed may register and vote.

D) Corporation – Because a corporation is not a natural person, but a legally created entity, the corporation does not have a right to register and vote. By the same token, representatives of the corporation may not register and vote in place of the corporation. However, any natural person named on the deed as co-owner of the tract of land may be allowed to register and vote.

2) Provide proof of ownership at the time of registration. This would
include a certified copy of deed or a copy of the most recent city tax
bill.

3) The parcel must be a minimum 4,000 square feet as required in the
City of Knoxville ordinance 0-167-00, adopted 8/3/2000.

4) No more than two (2) person shall be entitled to vote based upon the
ownership of an individual tract of property regardless of the number of property owners.

The same calendar deadlines for regular voter registration apply to property qualified voter registration.