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.

• Complaints must be filed on a Title III HAVA complaint form.  Complaint forms may be found at your local county election office, the State Coordinator of Elections office or online.
   
• All complaints must be in writing, notarized, signed, and sworn to by the complainant.  The complaint may be filed with either the Coordinator of Elections or the local county election office.
   
• Once a formal complaint is filed, the Coordinator of Elections or designee will decide the resolution of the complaint.
   
• A complainant may request a hearing on the record.
   
• The Coordinator of Elections or designee will gather information which may include written responses from the parties.  Once all the information is gathered, the Coordinator of Elections or designee will determine whether or not there is a violation of Title III.
   
• If it is determined that a violation of Title III has occurred, the State shall provide an appropriate remedy in accordance with Title III.
   
• If it is determined that no violation of Title III has occurred, the State shall publish the dismissed complaints of the procedures.
   
• A final determination must be made within 90 days of the complaint being filed.  Only the complainant may agree to extend this period of time.
   
• If a final determination is not made within 90 days and no extension is granted, the complaint shall be resolved within 60 days through alternative dispute resolution.  All previous proceedings, including the record and any correspondence, shall be forwarded to an administrative law judge for alternative dispute resolution.

Title IV of the Help America Vote Act requires each state to establish a state-based administrative complaint procedure.  This procedure allows individuals to file a complaint if any person believes that a violation under Title III of the Help America Vote Act has occurred, is occurring or is about to occur.

A violation of Title III would include issues dealing with the following HAVA sections:

• voting system standards
• provisional voting
• voter information requirements
• statewide voter registration database and
• accessibility for persons with disabilities

If your complaint does not fall within one of the above categories, you may still file a complaint with your local county election office, the State Coordinator of Elections office or online using a general complaint form.

A complaint form may be filed with the State Coordinator of Elections office or with the local county election office.