Voting Rights After a Felony in Tennessee

In Tennessee, a person convicted of a felony on or after May 18, 1981 loses the right to vote and cannot register again until a court order restores voting rights; people convicted on or before May 17, 1981 only need to answer the felony question on the voter registration form. To get the court order, the person must have been pardoned, discharged from custody by reason of service, or granted a certificate of final discharge from parole or other supervision, must owe no restitution, and must be current on all child support orders for the previous 12 months; restoration is therefore not available while the person is still in custody or under supervision. Some felonies permanently bar restoration: first-degree murder, aggravated rape, treason or voter fraud (July 1, 1986 to June 30, 1996); murder, rape, treason or voter fraud (July 1, 1996 to June 30, 2006); and, on or after July 1, 2006, murder, rape, treason, voter fraud, certain bribery, official-misconduct and interference-with-government felonies, and felony sexual offenses against a minor.