The State Election Commission is composed of seven members, four from the political party holding a majority of seats in the General Assembly and three from the minority party. These individuals are elected for a term of four years. This is the only commission in Tennessee state government which is elected wholly by the General Assembly.
To be eligible to serve on the State Election Commission one must be at least 25 years old, a resident of this state for at least seven years, and a resident of the grand division of the state from which one seeks election for at least four years preceding the election. No more than any two members may be from the same grand division of the state.
The State Election Commission is responsible for appointing five county election commissioners for every county in the state. This is done on the first Monday in April in every odd-numbered year. After making such appointments, the state commissioners then monitor the activities and performance of the county election commissioners and shall remove a county election commissioner for violation of the oath of office or if that person is no longer qualified to hold the position.
Candidates for statewide offices qualify by filing their candidate petitions with the commission, and the commission must pass on the correctness and propriety of such petitions. The commission works very closely with the coordinator of elections toward the common goal of maintaining uniformity in elections as well as preserving the purity of the ballot.
Members of the State Election Commission are:
- Donna Barrett, Murfreesboro;
- Judy Blackburn, Morristown;
- Greg Duckett, Memphis;
- Mike McDonald, Portland;
- Jimmy Wallace, Jackson;
- Tom Wheeler, Clinton;
- Kent Younce, La Follette.
Please address all correspondence for the State Election Commission to the Division of Elections:
Division of Elections 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue 7th Floor, Snodgrass Tower Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0309 (615) 741-7956
