Qualifications

To hold the office of Tennessee Senator, a person must be at least 30 years of age, a citizen of the United States, have been a citizen of Tennessee for 3 years and a resident in the county 1 year immediately preceding the election, and a qualified voter of the legislative district by Election Day.

Filing a Petition

Candidates may obtain a nominating petition from a county election commission office or the office of the Coordinator of Elections. The first date to pick up a petition is February 5, 2024. 

Each page of the petition should be signed by an election official and may not be photocopied. Additional pages may be obtained as necessary.

Voters' Signatures

The nominating petition must be signed by at least twenty-five (25) voters who are registered in the candidate's senate district, and the candidate. The signature of the candidate does not count towards the required twenty-five (25) signatures. Each voter who signs the petition must also supply his or her residential address as it appears on his or her voter registration records.

Filing Deadline

All candidates for Tennessee Senate must file their nominating petitions no later than 12:00 NOON on April 4, 2024. This deadline was extended by court order.  This includes candidates who want to run in the August primary and candidates who want to be listed as independent in November.

Where to File

Primary and independent candidates must file their original nominating petition with the county election commission in their county of their residence and a certified duplicate in the county election commission office in each county wholly or partially within the senate district.

A certified duplicate is a photocopy of the original petition with the words “This is a true copy of the original” signed by the person making the copy along with the copier’s name, title and date. Each of these documents must be received by the respective election commissions by the qualifying deadline. There are no government filing fees. For more information about Republican Party candidate fees, contact the Tennessee Republican Party at 615-269-4260.

Campaign Contribution and Disclosure Filings

Candidates should contact the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance for information regarding campaign contribution and disclosure reports and filing requirements. The Bureau's address and phone number are:

Tennessee Tower, 26th Floor
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Nashville, Tennessee 37243
(615) 741-7959