Library for Accessible Books and Media (LABM) is responsible for loaning braille, audio and large print publications to any resident of the State of Tennessee who has a physical disability which prevents them from reading standard print. This is done utilizing the U.S. Postal Service's Free Matter mailing privilege. Players are also loaned for use with the audio publications. Qualifying disabilities include: blindness, low-vision, manual dexterity problems that prevent the individual from holding a book and/or turning pages and reading disabilities. In order to borrow materials from the LABM, an application must be on file at the library with the original signature of a certifying authority that the applicant has such disability. In the case of an applicant with a reading disability, the certifying authority must be a physician. The library also creates a quarterly newsletter and distributes it in audio, braille and large print formats. The LABM is a cooperating library with the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped/Library of Congress (NLS) network of libraries serving the blind & physically handicapped.

Notices of Rulemaking Hearing must be filed at least 52 days prior to the hearing.

The T.C.A. requires a notice to be posted 45 days prior to a hearing. In addition to the 45 days, our office is allotted 7 days to process your agency’s notice prior to posting it online.

Feel free to reference our Rulemaking Guidelines. You can also email the Publications Division at publications.information@tnsos.gov.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to filing notices and rules and we are here to help answer your questions! Our Rulemaking Guidelines packet can be a helpful resource to obtain general information about the filing process.

If you have any additional questions, you can email the Publications Division at publications.information@tnsos.gov.

While the Secretary of State’s office is responsible for receiving and posting agency rules and regulations, we are not qualified to answer questions pertaining to rule content.

You can visit the Effective Rules table here. General contact information can be found at the bottom of each Authority’s rules page.

 

All special library materials--books, magazines and playback equipment--are circulated through the mail postage free. Patrons must borrow books each year to remain eligible for the service.

Special playback equipment is loaned to patrons who use the library service. Books and magazines in the TLABM collection are recorded at a slower speed than conventional recordings and the books require special players. Players are mailed to patrons postage free. The library repairs and replaces equipment as necessary. For patrons who wish to purchase their own equipment, a vendor list is available.

Bimonthly magazines will tell you about newly released books and related library services: Talking Book Topics and Braille Book Review. You may also order general catalogs. You can always call the library to ask about authors and titles. The National Library Service catalog is searchable online.

You must first complete an application for service and send it to the Tennessee library. All states provide the service for their residents.

The library service loans recorded, large print and braille books and magazines, music scores in large print and braille and special playback equipment. The TLABM book collection of over 50,000 titles includes popular fiction and nonfiction, best sellers, classics, history, biographies, religious literature, children's books and books in foreign language. There are over 70 popular magazines available. Go to Available Materials to find out more.

The Secretary of State’s Absentee By-Mail Ballot Status Tracker tool allows voters to track the status of their absentee by-mail ballot.

You must mail your ballot in time for your county election commission to receive it no later than the close of polls on Election Day.

You must return your ballot by mail (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.). Hand delivery or handing it to a poll worker during early voting or on Election Day is not permitted.

Learn more about voting absentee by-mail.

Find your early voting and Election Day polling place and hours in the GoVoteTN app.

Tennesseans voting early or on Election Day must bring valid photo identification with them to the polls. A driver's license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, by Tennessee state government or by the federal government are acceptable even if they are expired. College student IDs are not acceptable.

Learn more about what types of ID are acceptable here or call the Division of Elections at 1-877-850-4959.

 

 

Yes.  If you cannot afford a copy of the documents required to obtain a free photo ID, you may sign a form stating under oath that you are indigent and have been unable to obtain an acceptable photo ID for voting without paying a fee.

No.  If you already have a valid government-issued photo ID for voting purposes, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security will not issue a free photo ID to you.

No, but if you do not have another form of valid photo ID, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security will reissue your license with your photo for free upon request.

You will need:

• Proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate), and
• Two proofs of Tennessee residency (such as a voter registration card, a utility bill, vehicle registration or title, or bank statement).
• If your name differs from that on your primary ID, proof of the changed name (such as a certified marriage certificate, divorce decree, court order, etc.)

Learn more about the required documents at the Department of Safety and Homeland Security's Voter Photo ID page.

Visit the Department of Safety and Homeland Security's Driver Service Center Locations page for information about locations and hours, closure advisories, and self-service kiosks and online renewal.

You may obtain a free photo ID to vote from the Department of Safety and Homeland Security at any participating driver service center across the state. You may use the “express service” line at the driver service center to obtain your photo ID to minimize wait times. Visit the Department of Safety and Homeland Security's Voter Photo ID page for more information.

If you don’t bring a photo ID, you will vote a provisional ballot. You will then have two (2) business days after Election Day to return to the election commission office to show a valid photo ID. Upon returning to the election commission office, the voter will sign an affidavit and a copy of the voter’s photo ID will be made to be reviewed by the counting board.

If you are unsure or have questions about your photo ID, contact your county election commission or the Division of Elections at 1-877-850-4959.

Yes, as long as it was validly issued by the federal or Tennessee state government and contains the name and photograph of the voter.