In Tennessee it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat, according to a ranking by The Heritage Foundation that found Tennessee is No. 1 in the nation for election integrity.

“Tennessee has a lot of safeguards in place that allows the citizens of the state to feel confident in the integrity of their elections,” said Warren County Election administrator Susie Davenport. “It is very nice to see recognition given.” 

Tennessee received an 84 out of 100 on The Heritage Foundation Election Integrity Scorecard, which assesses the status of state laws needed for election fairness and election security. According to its website, “Americans need and deserve a transparent system in which fraud can be easily detected and false allegations of fraud can be easily dispelled. Americans need and deserve a system in which it is easy to vote and hard to cheat.” 

To reach an overall score of 84, Tennessee received the highest possible score in the following categories: Voter ID Implementation (20 out of 20), Vote Harvesting/ Trafficking Restrictions (4/4), Access of Election Observers (3/3), Verification of Citizenship (4/4), Vote County Practices (3/3), Restriction of Same-day Registration (3/3), and Restriction of Automatic Registration (3/3).

Some areas, according to the scorecard, need improving. In Tennessee, Accuracy of Voter Registration Lists received a score of 25 out of 30, Absentee Ballot Management 16/21, Identification of Voter Assistance 2/3, and Election Litigation Procedures: 0/3. 

Rounding out the top 10 states: Georgia scored 83, Alabama scored 82, Missouri scored 80, South Carolina scored 79, Florida and Arkansas tied at 78, Texas scored 76, and Wisconsin and Louisiana tied at 75. 

Hawaii received the lowest score, a 26 out of 100. Rounding out the bottom 10 on the list: Nevada 28, California 30, Oregon 38, Vermont 39, Washington and New Jersey at 42, New York 43, Massachusetts 45, and Nebraska 47. 

“I am grateful to the Heritage Foundation for this recognition and to all those who work on Tennessee elections, on both the state and local level, for their work protecting the integrity of Tennessee ballots,” said Lt. Gov. Randy McNally. “The General Assembly has long understood the importance of election security. From photo ID to making sure our counties are working towards producing a voter-verified paper audit trail by 2024, Tennessee has always been on the cutting edge of election integrity. As Secretary Hargett says, we are a state that makes it easy to vote, but hard to cheat. The General Assembly is resolved to keeping it that way.”

How Tennessee is protecting the ballot boxes:

• Voting machines used in Tennessee are not connected to the internet.

• Bipartisan county election commissions must ensure voting machines are publicly tested before every election.

• Ineligible voters are removed from voter rolls through mandated list maintenance procedures.

• All elections are administered locally and overseen by a bipartisan county election commission.

• Tennesseans must present a valid Tennessee or federally issued government photo ID to vote. IDs issued by other states, private organizations, and college student IDs are not acceptable.

• Tennessee law does not allow Election Day registration.

• Voters must request a ballot and meet one of fourteen qualifying conditions to vote absentee by-mail.

• Election offcials match the signature on the absentee by-mail ballot envelope with the one on file in the Elections offce.

• Absentee by-mail ballots are watermarked.

• Bipartisan counting boards count absentee by-mail votes.

• Absentee by-mail ballots cast during early voting are not counted until Election Day.

• Bipartisan poll officials help tabulate election results at polling locations.

• Election Day totals are unoffcial. All county election commissions must verify election results before they are certified.

• Tennessee law does not allow out-of-state poll watchers or foreign election observers.

• Tennessee law places strong restrictions on private funding of election administration.

• Committing voter fraud is a felony in Tennessee.

The Heritage Foundation’s scorecard was first published Dec. 14, 2021 and routinely updated to assess all state election laws. 

A complete list of states and their scores can be found at heritage.org/election-integrity. 

To learn more about election integrity and voting in Tennessee, go to GoVoteTN.gov.