Early voting begins today to determine Tennessee’s next governor, U.S. senator, congressional representatives and state lawmakers.
Tennessee ranked second to last in the nation for both voting and registration, and since early voting is available for registered Tennesseans from Oct. 17 through Nov. 1, here is what you need to know for early voting in Knox County.
What do I bring?
In Knox County, all you need to bring, after you have confirmed your registration, is a valid Federal or Tennessee state government photo ID. Valid forms of identification include a driver’s license or photo ID issued by the state of Tennessee, a U.S. passport, a U.S. military photo ID or a Tennessee handgun carry permit that includes a photo. College student IDs, city or county issued IDs and out-of-state IDs will not be accepted. You will not need to bring your voter registration card. Expired IDs are acceptable, and if you forget your ID, you can still vote. You must fill out a provisional ballot in order to vote without your ID. You will then have two days to return to the election commission office to show a valid photo ID.
Where can I go?
One advantage of early voting is that voters are not required to vote at their assigned polling location. Knox County has ten locations available for voting: Downtown West at 1645 Downtown West Blvd, Unit 40; Halls Recreation Center, 6933 Recreation Lane; Carter Branch Library 9036, Asheville Hwy; Love Kitchen, 2418 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave; New Harvest Park, 4775 New Harvest Lane; North/ Merchant Drive, 314 Merchant Drive; Meridian Baptist Church (South), 6513 Chapman Hwy; Karns Senior Center, 8042 Oak Ridge Hwy; Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Dr. and City-County Building at 400 Main St.
Each location is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m (City-County building closes at 2 p.m.). The only exception is Karns Senior Center which is closed on Saturdays and operates from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m Monday through Friday. More information on hours and locations can be found at knoxcounty.org.
What do I do if I want to vote but will be away during election period?
If you want to get out and vote but are unable to do it in person, you are allowed to cast an absentee ballot. The last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 30. While early voting in person only requires you to be registered for that county and have a valid ID, by-mail voting has a few more requirements.
To be eligible for by-mail voting, you must meet at least one of the requirements listed on the Tennessee Secretary of State website.
If you meet one of the requirements for a by-mail ballot, you must submit a written request containing the name of the registered voter, address of residence, social security number, address to mail the ballot, the election you wish to participate, reason for casting absentee vote and the voter’s signature below to your local county election commission office by the seventh day before Election Day.
You can submit your written request for an absentee ballot by mail, fax or email.
