Restoring Civil Rights After a Felony in Tennessee

Tennessee restores voting rights only through a court order (a petition for restoration of citizenship rights) for felony convictions on or after May 18, 1981. 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 have complied with child support orders for the past 12 months; certain felonies (such as murder, rape, treason, voter fraud and, since July 1, 2006, certain public-corruption felonies and felony sexual offenses against minors) can never be restored. For a court order issued on or after May 2, 2025, the person gives a certified copy to the county Administrator of Elections, who sends it to the state Coordinator of Elections for verification; for an older order, the person must also file a sworn statement about restitution, child support and disqualifying convictions. The Administrative Office of the Courts provides a sample restoration petition.