NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Eligible Tennesseans can now request an absentee ballot to vote by mail in the Aug. 6 election, according to a news release from the Secretary of State’s office.
Tennessee law allows all voters 60 years or older to vote absentee. Other people who are allowed to vote absentee include those who will be outside of the county, those who are serving on a jury, members of the military, and those who cannot vote because of illness and their caretakers.
Several groups have sued the state seeking to allow any voter to cast an absentee ballot this year over fears in-person voting could spread the coronavirus.
According to a COVID-19 contingency plan released by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office in late April, officials are preparing for a possible influx of voters to cast absentee ballots to avoid going to the polls for the Aug. 6 state and county elections.
In a letter to lawmakers, Secretary of State Tre Hargett said the state is preparing for an increase in absentee ballots cast, particularly by older residents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals age 65 and older are at a higher risk of serious illness if they contract the coronavirus.
To qualify for an absentee ballot, the registered voter must be 60 years of age or older; be hospitalized, ill or physically disabled; be a caretaker of someone who is physically ill or disabled; be living in a care facility outside their county of residence; or be a member of the military or a resident living overseas, among other reasons. Voters can also qualify if their doctor files a statement with a local county election commission stating that they are medically unable to vote in person.
Election officials estimate less than 2.5% of voters typically vote via absentee ballot; however, county election administrators are being cautioned to prepare for that number to increase in August and November.
