Vote by mail
requirements
A person must have registered in person or voted in at least one election in order to vote absentee by mail. A voter who desires to vote by mail must request a ballot application no more than ninety (90) days and no less than seven (7) days before the election. An application to vote by mail can be returned by hand delivery, mail, fax, or email attachment.
- Hardin County Election Commission
- 465 Main St. Courthouse Lower level
- Savannah, TN 38372
- hardin.commission@tn.gov
- 731-925-9734
Note on Email: A request for an application to vote by mail sent by email must contain an attachment which serves as the application for ballot. The attachment application must contain all required information including the voter’s signature. A request for a ballot sent by email without the attachment will not be processed.
The voter may have anyone they choose write their request for a ballot or for a voting by mail application, except that the voter must sign or make a mark where required. If the applicant or voter is so disabled that they cannot write a signature or make a mark where required, the action of the person who offers assistance shall be witnessed by one additional person. Both the person giving assistance and the witness shall sign their names and provide their addresses. A request to vote by mail is good for one election only. If a voter wishes to vote by mail for each election, a new request must be submitted during the proper time period. For more information, contact the Election Commission.
Should you need a Physician’s Statement, a form may be downloaded here:
requesting to vote by mail via fax or email
A person may make a request to vote by mail by faxing the request to the Election Office. The voter must put in writing all of the following information:
- Voter name
- Address of residence
- Social Security number
- The address to mail the ballot to
- The specific the election the voter wishes to vote in (also specify which primary, Democrat or Republican, if a primary is being held)
- The reason the voter wishes to vote absentee
- The voter's signature
- A daytime phone number and/or email addresses in order to clarify information if needed
If requesting a ballot by email, all of the above information must be provided, including the voter’s signature and attached as a separate document to an email. If the information is in the body of the email and not attached, the request will be rejected. If any of the information is not included in either the fax or email, the request will be rejected.
Military & Overseas voting
Military or overseas personnel may vote via the same information above. Military or overseas personnel may also obtain information about voting by mail here. The following form can be used by military or overseas voters.
An application to vote by mail with the above form is only good for one calendar year.
Circumstances for Voting by Mail
A registered voter in any of the following circumstances may request to vote by mail:
- Persons who will be outside of the County during the early voting period and election day
- Full-time college students and their spouses who are out of the County
- A person who is on the permanent disabled mailing list
- Residents of licensed nursing homes which are outside the County
- Jurors for a federal or state court who will be serving during early voting and election day
- Persons age 60 or older
- A person who is a candidate for office in a particular election
- A person who is an election official in that particular election
- A person who will be observing a religious holiday
- A truck driver who has previously provided proof of a CDL with the election office
- Persons who will be outside of the County during the early voting period and election day
- Full-time college students and their spouses who are out of the County
- A person who is on the permanent disabled mailing list
- Residents of licensed nursing homes which are outside the County
- Jurors for a federal or state court who will be serving during early voting and election day
- Persons age 60 or older
- You are hospitalized, ill or physically disabled and unable to appear at your polling place to vote (this includes persons who have underlying medical or health conditions which in their determination render them more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 or at greater risk should they contract it)
- You are the caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled (this includes caretakers for persons who have underlying medical or health conditions which in their determination render them more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 or at greater risk should they contract it)
- A person who is a candidate for office in a particular election
- A person who is an election official in that particular election
- A person who will be observing a religious holiday
- A truck driver who has previously provided proof of a CDL with the election office
For a list of underlying health conditions that makes a person more susceptible to contracting COVID-19, see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html. A physician’s statement is not required.