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PROCEDURES FOR REQUESTING AN ABSENTEE-BY-MAIL BALLOT

If you are military personnel, a dependent, or an overseas civilian, click here for a Form 76 (requires Adobe Reader).

If you are not in the military, an overseas civilian or in a Hamilton County nursing home and need to vote absentee, click here for a general absentee request form. If you have problems with that form, click here for a pdf form.

The voter must request his/her ballot in writing over his/her signature.  The request may be submitted not more than 90 days before an election but not later than 7 days prior to an election.  The request may be mailed or faxed to the Election Commission Office.

You may contact Becky Bumgardner at ext. 232 and we may be able to provide you with your application that only requires selection of valid reason and your signature

Any one who has registered to vote by mail must vote in person at least once before he/she will be eligible for an absentee ballot, pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 2-2-115(b)(7).

• The voter’s printed name and the voter’s signature.
• The voter’s Hamilton County address.
• The voter’s Social Security Number.
• The voter's Date of Birth
• The address to mail the ballot to outside Hamilton County, except as provided under the provisions of the Commercial Driver’s License section.
• The election the voter is requesting a ballot for (this must include the party preference—Democrat or Republican—if the election is a primary).
• The valid reason the voter is requesting the absentee ballot:
   
  • A registered voter may apply to vote absentee by mail if he/she has one of the following reasons:
     
    • Will be outside Hamilton County on Election Day and all the days of the early voting period.
    • Permanent absentee voter (requires a doctor’s certificate on file).
    • Students and spouses of students attending school outside Hamilton County.
    • Jury duty on a state or federal court.
    • Persons who are full time residents of a licensed nursing home, home for the aged or similar licensed institution providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, other than a penal institution, outside the voter’s county of residence.
    • 60 years of age or older.
    • A handicapped voter who’s polling place is inaccessible.
    • Hospitalized, ill or physically disabled voter.
    • Caretaker of a hospitalized, ill or physically disabled person.
    • Candidate for office.
    • Observance of a religious holiday.
    • Person possessing a valid commercial driver’s license (must certify that he/she will be working outside the county or state during early voting period and on election day during all the hours the polls are open and has no specific out-of-county or out-of-state location to which mail may be sent or received during such time and must have registered in person to vote or voted previously in person (§2-2-115(b)(7)), and must provide his/her commercial driver’s license number on his/her current driver’s license and provide his/her current residential address and any mailing address to which ballot should be mailed).
    • Persons who serve as an election official on Election Day or a member or employee of the Election Commission.

If the request does not contain all of the above information, the voter will be sent an absentee ballot application on which he/she shall be asked to provide the needed information. To request an application for an absentee ballot, please contact the Election Commission office at (423) 493-5100.

Mail Requests To:               Hamilton County Election Commission 
                                                700 River Terminal Road  Chattanooga, TN  37406     

Fax Requests To:                (423) 493-5101