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Note: This article is not intended to serve as a guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact theirstate election agencies for further information.

In order to get on the ballot in Tennessee, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines.These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Tennessee. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates,click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contactstate election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

Seestate election laws

Year-specific filing information

2026

See also:Signature requirements and deadlines for 2026 U.S. Congress elections andTennessee elections, 2026

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Tennessee in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Tennessee, clickhere.

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Tennessee in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Tennessee, clickhere.

Governor

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Tennessee in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Tennessee, clickhere.

State House

The table below details filing requirements for Tennessee House of Representatives candidates in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Tennessee, clickhere.

State Senate

The table below details filing requirements for Tennessee State Senate candidates in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Tennessee, clickhere.

State Supreme Court

The table below details filing requirements for state supreme court candidates in Tennessee in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Tennessee, clickhere.

For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.

Process to become a candidate

See statutes:Chapter 2-5 andChapter 2-7 of the Tennessee Code

State legislative candidates

A candidate running for thestate legislature, whether partisan or independent, must adhere to the same ballot access requirements, which are detailed below.

1. The candidate must obtain a nominating petition from a county election commission office or the office of the state coordinator of elections.^[3][4]
2. The nominating petition must be signed by the candidate and at least 25 voters who are registered in the candidate's district.^[3][4]
3. The signer of a petition must include the address shown on his or her voter registration card in order for his or her signature to be counted.^[4]
4. The candidate must file the original nominating petition in the office of the county election commission by the first Thursday of April in his or her county of residence. The candidate must also file a certified duplicate in the county election commission office in each county wholly or partially within the candidate's district. This requirement applies to both political party candidates running in the primary and independent candidates running in the general election.^[3][4]
5. There are no filing fees.

Federal and statewide office

A partisan or independent candidate forgovernor,United States Representative, orUnited States Senator must obtain a nominating petition from a county election commission office or the office of the state coordinator of elections.^[5][6]

1. The nominating petition must be signed by at least 25 voters who are registered anywhere inTennessee.^[5][7]
2. The signer of a petition must include the address shown on his or her voter registration card in order for the signature to be counted.^[4]
3. The candidate must file the nominating petition no later than noon on the first Thursday of April.^[5][7]
4. The candidate must file the original nominating petition in the office of the Tennessee State Election Commission. The candidate must also file a certified duplicate in the office of the state coordinator of elections. Both of these must be received by the qualifying deadline.^[5][7]
5. There are no filing fees.

For write-in candidates

In order to have his or her votes tallied, a write-in candidate must file a certificate of write-in candidacy no later than noon on the 50th day before the general election in each county that makes up the district of the listed office. For the offices ofgovernor,United States Senator, andUnited States Representative, this form must be filed with the Tennessee Coordinator of Elections.^[8][9]

Petition requirements

See also:Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

See statutes:Chapter 2-5 of the Tennessee Code

In some cases, candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process to gain access to the ballot. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining topetitions andcirculators inTennessee.

Nominating petitions shall not be issued by any administrator, deputy, county election commissioner, or employee of the coordinator's office more than 60 days before the qualifying deadline for the office for which the petition is issued. In any year where reapportionment must occur, the coordinator of elections shall determine the earliest date on which petitions may be issued.^[10][11]

The relevant statutes do not address petition circulator requirements.

Election-related agencies

See also:State election agencies

Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Elections

312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue

9th Floor, William Snodgrass Tower

Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0309

Phone: 615-741-7956

Toll-free: 1-877-850-4959

Email: tennessee.elections@tn.gov

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Do you need information about elections inyour area? Are you looking foryour local election official?Click here to visit theU.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

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Term limits

State executives

See also:State executives with term limits andStates with gubernatorial term limits

The state executive term limits inTennessee are as follows:

• Thegovernor must wait four years and/or one full term before becoming eligible to serve again after serving two consecutive terms.
• Theattorney general is appointed by theState Supreme Court for a term of eight years.

State legislators

See also:State legislatures with term limits

There are no term limits placed on Tennessee state legislators.

Congressional partisanship

See also:List of United States Representatives from Tennessee andList of United States Senators from Tennessee

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation fromTennessee.

State legislative partisanship

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the state legislature ofTennessee.

Tennessee State Senate

Tennessee House of Representatives

Noteworthy events

2018

On April 2, 2018, GovernorBill Haslam (R) signedSB 2497 into law. The legislation, upon enactment, reduced the candidate qualifying period from 90 days to 60 days. The legislation cleared theTennessee State Senate on March 1, 2018, by a vote of 26-2. On March 19, 2018, theTennessee House of Representatives approved the legislation by a vote of 77-16 (with one member present and not voting).^[11][12]

Related legislation

The table below lists bills related to ballot access requirements for candidates that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Tennessee. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official bill name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Sponsor party
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page onBallotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.

The Ballot Bulletin

TheBallot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from ourElection Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.

Recent issues

Click below to view recent issues of The Ballot Bulletin.

• The Ballot Bulletin: February 13, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: February 6, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 30, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 23, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 16, 2026

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See also

• Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Tennessee
• Ballot access requirements for political parties in Tennessee
• Tennessee elections, 2026
• Campaign finance requirements in Tennessee
• Counties in Tennessee
• List of United States Representatives from Tennessee
• List of United States Senators from Tennessee
• Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions
• State executives with term limits
• States with gubernatorial term limits
• State legislatures with term limits

External links

Official state and federal links

• Tennessee Secretary of State
• Federal Election Commission
• Candidate information, from the Tennessee Secretary of State

Other information

• Ballot Access News – News updates and analysis of ballot access issues
• ThirdPartyPolitics.us – Blog about American third party and independent politics
• National Voter Outreach – Political consulting firm that specializes in organizing petition signature drives

Footnotes

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policy Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Redistricting policy Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Recount laws Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Ballot access for political candidates Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio 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