Elections in Tennessee
| Elections in Tennessee |
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 Government |
Elections in Tennessee are held to fill various local, state, and federal seats. Special elections may be held to fill vacancies at other points in time. Statewide legislative referrals and referendums may also be on the ballot in some elections. Tennessee is one of thirteen states that holds its presidential primaries on Super Tuesday.[1]
Tennessee does not require voters to declare a party affiliation when registering. The state is one of eight states that require voters to present a form of photo identification.[2] In a 2020 study, Tennessee was ranked as the 5th hardest state for citizens to vote in.[3]
Political History[edit]
Between the end of the Civil War and the mid-20th century, Tennessee was part of the Democratic Solid South, but had the largest Republican minority of any former Confederate state.[4] During this time, East Tennessee was heavily Republican and the western two thirds mostly voted Democratic, with the latter dominating the state.[5] This division was related to the state's pattern of Unionist and Confederate loyalism during the Civil War.[5]
Tennessee's politics are currently dominated by the Republican Party.[6][7] Republicans currently hold both of the state's U.S. Senate seats, a majority of Congressional seats, and the state legislature. Democratic strength is largely concentrated in Nashville, Memphis, and parts of Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Clarksville. Several suburban areas of Nashville and Memphis also contain significant Democratic minorities.
Presidential[edit]
This is a list of past presidential elections in Tennessee.
| Year | Republican / Whig | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 1,852,475 | 60.66% | 1,143,711 | 37.45% | 57,665 | 1.89% |
| 2016 | 1,522,925 | 60.72% | 870,695 | 34.72% | 114,407 | 4.56% |
| 2012 | 1,462,330 | 59.42% | 960,709 | 39.04% | 37,865 | 1.54% |
| 2008 | 1,479,178 | 56.85% | 1,087,437 | 41.79% | 35,367 | 1.36% |
| 2004 | 1,383,336 | 56.81% | 1,035,160 | 42.51% | 16,453 | 0.68% |
| 2000 | 1,061,949 | 51.15% | 981,720 | 47.28% | 32,512 | 1.57% |
| 1996 | 863,530 | 45.59% | 909,146 | 48.00% | 121,429 | 6.41% |
| 1992 | 841,300 | 42.43% | 933,521 | 47.08% | 207,817 | 10.48% |
| 1988 | 947,233 | 57.89% | 679,794 | 41.55% | 9,223 | 0.56% |
| 1984 | 990,212 | 57.84% | 711,714 | 41.57% | 10,067 | 0.59% |
| 1980 | 787,761 | 48.70% | 783,051 | 48.41% | 46,804 | 2.89% |
| 1976 | 633,969 | 42.94% | 825,879 | 55.94% | 16,498 | 1.12% |
| 1972 | 813,147 | 67.70% | 357,293 | 29.75% | 30,742 | 2.56% |
| 1968 | 472,592 | 37.85% | 351,233 | 28.13% | 424,792 | 34.02% |
| 1964 | 508,965 | 44.49% | 634,947 | 55.50% | 34 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 556,577 | 52.92% | 481,453 | 45.77% | 13,762 | 1.31% |
| 1956 | 462,288 | 49.21% | 456,507 | 48.60% | 20,609 | 2.19% |
| 1952 | 446,147 | 49.99% | 443,710 | 49.71% | 2,696 | 0.30% |
| 1948 | 202,914 | 36.87% | 270,402 | 49.14% | 76,967 | 13.99% |
| 1944 | 200,311 | 39.22% | 308,707 | 60.45% | 1,674 | 0.33% |
| 1940 | 169,153 | 32.35% | 351,601 | 67.25% | 2,069 | 0.40% |
| 1936 | 146,520 | 30.81% | 327,083 | 68.78% | 1,935 | 0.41% |
| 1932 | 126,752 | 32.48% | 259,473 | 66.49% | 4,031 | 1.03% |
| 1928 | 195,388 | 53.76% | 167,343 | 46.04% | 742 | 0.20% |
| 1924 | 130,728 | 43.54% | 158,682 | 52.86% | 10,810 | 3.60% |
| 1920 | 219,829 | 51.29% | 206,558 | 48.19% | 2,239 | 0.52% |
| 1916 | 116,223 | 42.70% | 153,280 | 56.31% | 2,687 | 0.99% |
| 1912 | 60,475 | 24.00% | 133,021 | 52.80% | 58,437 | 23.20% |
| 1908 | 117,977 | 45.87% | 135,608 | 52.73% | 3,595 | 1.40% |
| 1904 | 105,363 | 43.40% | 131,653 | 54.23% | 5,734 | 2.36% |
| 1900 | 123,108 | 44.95% | 145,240 | 53.03% | 5,512 | 2.01% |
| 1896 | 148,683 | 46.33% | 167,168 | 52.09% | 5,052 | 1.57% |
| 1892 | 100,537 | 37.83% | 136,468 | 51.36% | 28,727 | 10.81% |
| 1888 | 138,978 | 45.76% | 158,699 | 52.26% | 6,017 | 1.98% |
| 1884 | 124,101 | 47.74% | 133,770 | 51.45% | 2,107 | 0.81% |
| 1880 | 107,677 | 44.26% | 129,569 | 53.26% | 6,017 | 2.47% |
| 1876 | 89,566 | 40.21% | 133,177 | 59.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1872 | 85,655 | 47.84% | 93,391 | 52.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1868 | 56,628 | 68.43% | 26,129 | 31.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1864 | 30,000 | 85.71% | 5,000 | 14.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1860 | 0 | 0.00% | 11,281 | 7.72% | 134,825 | 92.28% |
| 1856 | 0 | 0.00% | 69,704 | 52.18% | 63,878 | 47.82% |
| 1852 | 58,586 | 50.73% | 56,900 | 49.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1848 | 64,321 | 52.52% | 58,142 | 47.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1844 | 60,040 | 50.05% | 59,917 | 49.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1840 | 60,194 | 55.66% | 47,951 | 44.34% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1836 | 36,027 | 57.92% | 26,170 | 42.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
National legislative[edit]
Senate elections[edit]
- 2000 United States Senate election in Tennessee
- 2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee
- 2006 United States Senate election in Tennessee
- 2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee
- 2012 United States Senate election in Tennessee
- 2014 United States Senate election in Tennessee
- 2018 United States Senate election in Tennessee
- 2020 United States Senate election in Tennessee
- 2024 United States Senate election in Tennessee
- 2026 United States Senate election in Tennessee
House of Representatives elections[edit]
- 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
- 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
- 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
- 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
- 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
- 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
- 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
- 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
- 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
- 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
Gubernatorial[edit]
- 2002 Tennessee gubernatorial election
- 2006 Tennessee gubernatorial election
- 2010 Tennessee gubernatorial election
- 2014 Tennessee gubernatorial election
- 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election
- 2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election
- 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election
State legislative[edit]
State Senate elections[edit]
- 2018 Tennessee Senate election
- 2020 Tennessee Senate election
- 2022 Tennessee Senate election
- 2024 Tennessee Senate election
State House elections[edit]
- 2018 Tennessee House of Representatives election
- 2020 Tennessee House of Representatives election
- 2022 Tennessee House of Representatives election
- 2024 Tennessee House of Representatives election
Local[edit]
Davidson County elections[edit]
Nashville Mayoral elections
- 2011 Nashville mayoral election
- 2015 Nashville mayoral election
- 2018 Nashville mayoral special election
- 2019 Nashville mayoral election
- 2023 Nashville mayoral election
Nashville measures
Hamilton County elections[edit]
- 2017 Chattanooga mayoral election
- 2021 Chattanooga mayoral election
- 2025 Chattanooga mayoral election
Knox County elections[edit]
Countywide elections
Knoxville elections
- 2003 Knoxville mayoral election
- 2007 Knoxville mayoral election
- 2011 Knoxville mayoral election
- 2015 Knoxville mayoral election
- 2019 Knoxville Mayoral Election
- 2023 Knoxville mayoral election
Montgomery County elections[edit]
Rutherford County elections[edit]
Shelby County elections[edit]
Other[edit]
State measures[edit]
- Tennessee Marriage Protection Amendment
- 2014 Tennessee Amendment 1
- 2022 Tennessee Amendment 1
- 2022 Tennessee Amendment 3
Elections by year[edit]
- 2008 Tennessee elections
- 2010 Tennessee elections
- 2012 Tennessee elections
- 2014 Tennessee elections
- 2016 Tennessee elections
- 2018 Tennessee elections
- 2020 Tennessee elections
- 2022 Tennessee elections
- 2024 Tennessee elections
- 2026 Tennessee elections
See also[edit]
- Political party strength in Tennessee
- Politics in Tennessee
- List of United States senators from Tennessee
- List of United States representatives from Tennessee
- Tennessee Senate
- Tennessee House of Representatives
References[edit]
- ^ "Super Tuesday 2020". US Presidential Election News. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ^ "Voter Identification Requirements". ncsl.org. National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ J. Pomante II, Michael; Li, Quan (15 Dec 2020). "Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020". Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy. 19 (4). doi:10.1089/elj.2020.0666. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Langsdon 2000, p. x.
- ^ a b Hunt, Keel (2018). Crossing the Aisle: How Bipartisanship Brought Tennessee to the Twenty-First Century and Could Save America. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-0-8265-2241-2 – via Google Books.
- ^ Doble, Rob (December 24, 2020). "Analysis: The polarization express". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ Clouse, Allie (November 6, 2020). "As Georgia becomes a blue wedge in the Deep South, Tennessee cleaves tighter to the GOP". Knoxville News-Sentinel. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ Leip, David. "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Tennessee". US Election Atlas. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1864-11-18). "Chicago tribune. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1864-1872, November 18, 1864, Image 2". ISSN 2572-9977. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
Works cited[edit]
- Langsdon, Phillip R. (2000). Tennessee: A Political History. Franklin, Tennessee: Hillboro Press. ISBN 9781577361251 – via Internet Archive.
External links[edit]
- Tennessee at Ballotpedia
- Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Tennessee", Voting & Elections Toolkits
- "Tennessee: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
- "League of Women Voters of Tennessee". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
- "State Elections Legislation Database", Ncsl.org, Washington, D.C.: National Conference of State Legislatures,
State legislation related to the administration of elections introduced in 2011 through this year, 2020
