The program does NOT:

• Help participants change their identities or relocate.
• Remove or delete existing public records.
• Offer legal advice.
• Relieve participants of their legal or financial responsibilities.

The Safe at Home Program will receive all first class and certified mail sent to the substitute address and then forward that mail to the participant at their designated mailing address.

Service of Process is issued under the following statutes:

• Tennessee’s Long-Arm Statutes, Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.) Title 20, Chapter 2, Part 2.
• The Tennessee Business Corporation Act, T.C.A. Title 48, Chapters 11-27
• Tennessee Nonprofit Corporation Act, T.C.A. Title 48, Chapters 51-68
• Tennessee Limited Liability Company Act ,T.C.A. Title 48,Chapters 201-248
• The Tennessee Revised Limited Liability Company Act, T.C.A. Title 48, Chapter 249
• The Tennessee Revised Uniform Partnership Act, T.C.A.  Title 61, Chapter 1
• Tennessee Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, T.C.A. Title 61, Chapter 2

The Hague Convention is preprinted as an annotation to Rule 4, 28 U.S.C.A., Fed. R. Civ. P., Rules 1011, (1992) (Annotation to Rule 4).

Normally poll workers report to work one hour before polls open and leave one hour after the poll closes. Check with your county election commission for more information.

To be a poll worker, a person must:

• Be at least 16 years old
• Be a registered voter in the county if 18 or older
• Be able to read and write in the English language
• Not be supervised by a county or municipal elected official on the ballot
• Not be a candidate or close relative of a candidate. Close relatives are defined as the spouse, parent, father-in-law, mother-in-law, child, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece of a candidate on the ballot or a write-in candidate

Government Employees Who Can Serve as Poll Worker:

• All City, County and Metro employees (unless working directly under the supervision of an elected official on the ballot)
• State of Tennessee employees
• Federal employees – consult your Human Resources Department to ensure eligibility

A poll worker shall also:

• Have strong clerical skills
• Be able to solve problems
• Be an effective communicator

If you are interested in becoming a poll worker, apply by filling out an application form. Poll workers are appointed locally based on need.

County Election Commissions are required by state law to provide training. This training provides all the necessary information and knowledge to be a successful poll worker.

The Office of the Secretary of State has developed an application form that must be used to apply for the program, which captures all required information and must be completed with the assistance of a Certified Application Assistant, who must also sign the application.  The application must be submitted to the Safe at Home Program by a certified application assistant. 

For more information see our Applicant Guide.

The Division of Business Services processes over 13,800 summonses annually.

Poll workers are compensated for working at polling places at a rate determined by the county election commission and are also compensated for attending any required training sessions. Poll workers may also choose to volunteer their services, but most are paid.

Every effort is made to assign a poll workers to their neighborhood voting site. However, poll workers must be willing to be flexible and consider assignments at other sites in the county based on need.

Program Participants are not subject to selection for state or municipal jury duty. T.C.A. § 40-38-607.

Program participants should not appear on state or municipal jury selection lists. If a program participant is selected for jury service, the summoning court should excuse the program participant.

If a program participant receives a jury summons for either state or municipal jury duty, the Participant must notify the summoning court of the participant's exempt status and provide a copy of the Participant's Certificate of Program Participation, if requested.

Participants may not fail to respond to a jury summons.

Certified Application Assistants work with various state and local agencies and/or nonprofit agencies that provide counseling and shelter services to victims of domestic abuse and other crimes. At list of Certified Application Assistants can be found here.  Safe at Home is most effective as part of an overall safety plan. Additional information regarding safety plans can be found here. 

Yes. State employees may become poll workers.

Any person who is required by law to be registered under any of the following is not eligible to participate in the program:

• Tennessee Sexual Offender and Violent Sexual Offender Registration Verification and Tracking Act of 2004, compiled at Title 40, Chapter 39, Part 2;
• Tennessee Animal Abuser Registration Act, compiled at Title 40, Chapter 39, Part 1
• Registry of persons who have abused, neglected, or misappropriated the property of vulnerable individuals, compiled at Title 68, Chapter 11, Part 10; or,
• Drug offender registry under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-436.

The Service of Process Search allows you to check on the status of a Service of Process issuance by the defendant’s last name (or company name if a company) or by court docket number. This database reflects all non-archived processes served through the Tennessee Secretary of State as of three working days prior to the requested date.  Service of Process records are archived on an annual basis.

• Whenever a program participant is required by law to swear to or affirm the participant’s address, the participant may use the participant’s substitute address. T.C.A. §§ 40-38-602, 606.
• Wherever a program participant is required by law to establish residency, the participant may use the participant’s substitute address. T.C.A. §§ 40-38-602, 606.
• The substitute address may be used for motor vehicle records and may be printed on a drivers license. T.C.A. § 40-38-602.
• The substitute address may also be used as your official mailing address for all public utilities and public utility service providers. T.C.A. §§ 40-38-602, 606.
• Participants may also request that private entities use the substitute address, although they are not required to do so.

A Service of Process filing may be rejected for many reasons.  Some of the most common reasons are:

• An insufficient number of copies of the summons are submitted (an original and one certified copy are required for each defendant).
• An address for an out-of-state defendant is not provided.
• The defendant and/or agent for Service of Process has a Tennessee address requiring Service of Process by the Sheriff of the county of the defendant and/or agent not by the Secretary of State.
• The $20.00 filing fee is not enclosed.
• The check, bank draft, or money order is not made payable to the “Tennessee Secretary of State.”
• The original and/or certified copy of the summons is not signed by the Clerk or Deputy Clerk.
• The Clerk’s certified stamp, seal, or imprint is not affixed to the summons.
• The process is to be served on an insurance company requiring Service of Process through the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance.
• The action is instituted in a court outside Tennessee.

An individual should consider applying if they are victims of domestic abuse, stalking, human trafficking, or any sexual offense, who:

• are attempting to escape an abuser, stalker, or other aggressor;
• are currently residing in a domestic violence shelter or other crisis shelter;
• are currently temporarily residing with family or friends;
• have moved to a new home within the previous 30 days;
• have children; or
• rely upon, or will need to rely upon, public assistance programs.

The application can be completed by:

• Any adult may apply on their own behalf
• A parent may apply on behalf of their minor child
• A fiduciary, such as a guardian or conservator, may apply on behalf of a minor or a person with a disability 

Program participants may be required to provide their residential street address to a public utility service provider for the purpose of obtaining utility services.  However, participants can request that their residential address be treated as confidential by presenting the public service utility with a certificate of program participation.

After doing so, the public utility service provider must treat the residential address and all other identifying information as confidential in accordance with the Tennessee Public Records Act, compiled at Title 10, Chapter 7, Part 5.

Poll workers conduct assigned duties at a polling site during early voting and on Election Day. Duties can include processing voters, explaining how to mark a ballot, use the voting equipment, or counting votes. Other positions at a polling place include a greeter who assists with answering questions and directing voters to the voting area.

Private businesses are not required by statute to accept a Safe at Home Participant's substitute address. However, private companies or agencies are encouraged to make every effort to keep a participant’s information safe by accepting the substitute address whenever possible. If agency or business employees have questions about using the substitute address, they may contact the Safe at Home Program directly.

• When listing, appraising, or assessing property taxes;
• When collecting property taxes;
• On any document related to real property recorded with a county clerk or recorder.

• Participants should always use the substitute address when interacting with a state or local government entity, whether on their own behalf or on behalf of their children. Participants should never disclose their confidential address, unless required by law to do so.
• Participants should always notify the state or local government official or entity with whom they are interacting that they are a program participant and that their residential address is confidential.
• Participants should always be prepared to provide officials with a copy of their program participation certificate.
• If a Participant has filed paperwork with a state or local government entity using their confidential address within 30 days prior to their application for program participation, the participant should immediately contact the state or local agency to notify them of the Participant's participation certification, provide a copy of the Participant's Certificate of Program Participation, and request that the participant's confidential address be protected.
• If a Participant is asked to verify their residential address for purposes of enrolling either themselves or their minor children in a public school, the Participant should provide the school with a copy of their Certificate of Program Participation and your substitute address. Then, direct school officials to contact the Office of the Secretary of State for further verifications in accordance with T.C.A. §§ 40-38-602, 606.
• Participants should provide their Public Utility Service Providers (electric, water, and gas, etc.) with a copy of their Certificate of Program Participation and their substitute address, and then request that the Public Utility Service Provider keep their residential address confidential. These requests should be presented to the Public Utility Service Provider's records custodian.

Program Participants must vote by absentee ballot. T.C.A. § 40-38-607.

Program participant absentee ballots must be treated as confidential and must be processed confidentially by the Administrator of Elections. Program participants shall appear in the statewide official voter registration list only by the Participant Identification Number. 

As authorized by law, properly designated law enforcement agency officials and administrative agency officials may request disclosure of information relating to a program participant. T.C.A. § 40-38-609. What information may be available to law enforcement or administrative agency officials?

• Properly designated law enforcement agency officials and administrative agency officials may request confirmation of program participation pertaining to a supposed program participant.
• Properly designated law enforcement agency officials and administrative agency officials may request disclosure of information pertaining to a program participant, including the confidential address, subject to the discretion of the Secretary of State. Program Participants may be entitled to prior notice and appeal rights.
• Disclosure of a participant’s confidential address, or any other information contained within a program participant’s file, shall be limited to ensure that the disclosure and dissemination of the confidential address will be no greater than necessary for the specific purpose for which it was requested.