WSB/1/7
Sponsored by Maya Gemignani, Madison Elliott of Franklin High School
This legislation was filed in the Education category
Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference
| 1 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH IN GOVERNMENT |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Section 1: Terms in this act are defined as follows: |
| 4 | (a) Absentee ballot - a ballot submitted by mail in advance of an election by a voter who is unable |
| 5 | to be present at the polls, falling under Tennessee’s absentee voter eligibility as specified in |
| 6 | [T.C.A., Section 2-6-201]; |
| 7 | (b) Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) - a process in which eligible citizens who interact with |
| 8 | government agencies, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles, are registered to vote, unless |
| 9 | they actively decline; |
| 10 | (c) Postsecondary institutions - any education institution after high school that enrolls students |
| 11 | accepting state or federal financial aid; |
| 12 | (d) Qualified elector - a legal voter who meets the state voting requirements of age, residency, |
| 13 | and registration and who has the present right to vote in an election; and |
| 14 | (e) Voter registration forms - all materials necessary for an individual to register to vote in the |
| 15 | state of Tennessee. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Section 2: This act will establish easier automatic voter registration through the Department of |
| 18 | Motor Vehicles, provide high school and postsecondary students with the resources necessary to |
| 19 | register to vote, and will amend Tennessee law to eliminate the current criminal designation for |
| 20 | giving out application for an absentee ballot. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Section 3: Every person who is a qualified elector and is applying for a driver's license, to renew a |
| 23 | driver's license or for an identification card at the Department of Motor Vehicles will be |
| 24 | simultaneously registered to vote through AVR. |
| 25 | (a) Upon completion the Secretary of State shall send by mail a notice that the individual has been |
| 26 | registered to vote that allows the person to respond with their affiliation with a political party or |
| 27 | decline to be registered. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | Section 4: All public school districts must provide voter registration forms to their students who |
| 30 | will be age 18 on or before the next election dates or to each student in September of their senior |
| 31 | year of high school. Forms must also be provided by postsecondary institutions to any student |
| 32 | over the age of 18 in September of each academic year. |
| 33 | (a) The forms must be shared whether physically or electronically at least 15 days prior to the |
| 34 | deadline for voter registration for the state general election. |
| 35 | (b) Forms may be requested from the Secretary of State to be distributed by the institutions and |
| 36 | school districts. |
| 37 | (c) When providing forms school districts and institutions must also make available to students the |
| 38 | |
| 39 | requirements including voter registration deadlines; residency requirements; and absentee voting |
| 40 | options, including applicable deadlines for requesting and submitting an absentee ballot. |
| 41 | (d) Postsecondary institutions must also provide resources to help students who are registered in |
| 42 | another state to apply for absentee ballots in that state, and may include resources from state and |
| 43 | local election officials from that state |
| 44 | |
| 45 | Section 5: Current Tennessee law [T.C.A., Section 2-6-202(c) subdivision (3) and (4)] making it a |
| 46 | crime for anyone other than election commission employees to hand out applications for an |
| 47 | absentee ballot shall be deleted. |
| 48 | |
| 49 | Section 6: This act will be of no cost to the state of Tennessee. |
| 50 | |
| 51 | Section 7: All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this are hereby repealed. |
| 52 | |
| 53 | Section 8: This act shall take effect on July 1, 2024, the public welfare requiring it. |
| 54 |