Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-12-201 (2026)

The commission shall appoint an administrator of elections who shall be the chief administrative officer of the commission and who shall be responsible for the daily operations of the office and the execution of all elections. The duties of the administrator of elections may, upon the administrator's discretion, be performed by a designee. Such duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• (1) Employment of all office personnel; after July 1, 2011, administrators of elections may not appoint or hire, except in the event of and during an emergency, members of the county election commission, or spouses, parents, brothers, sisters or children, including in-laws of commission members or spouses, parents, brothers, sisters or children, including in-laws of the administrator of elections as deputies, clerical assistants, absentee voting deputies, machine technicians, poll officials or as members of the absentee counting board;

• (2) Preparation of the annual operating budget and presentation of such budget to the election commission for approval;

• (3) Upon approval by the county election commission, presentation of the annual budget to the county commission or other legislative body for funding;

• (4) Requisition and purchase of any supplies necessary for the operation of the election commission office and the conduct of all elections;

• (5) Maintenance of voter registration files, campaign disclosure records, and any other records required by this title;

• (6) Conducting of instruction class for poll workers or designation of another qualified person to conduct such class;

• (7) Preparation of all notices for publication required by this title;

• (8) Preparation and maintenance of all fiscal records necessary for the daily operation of the election commission office and all elections. This may include any requests for funding or changes in funding, if necessary, after adoption of the current fiscal budget;

• (9) Compilation, maintenance and dissemination of information to the public, the candidates, the voters, the press and all inquiring parties in regard to all aspects of the electoral process on all governmental levels;

• (10) Promotion of the electoral process through supplemental registrations, public functions, press releases and media advertising whenever possible;

• (11) Attendance at any required seminar and other educational seminars, as funding permits, to gain knowledge beneficial to the administration of the election commission office or to the electoral process;

• (12) Having knowledge of all current laws pertaining to the election process and any changes mandated by the general assembly, and apprising the election commission, office staff, candidates, the press and the public in general of this information;

• (13) Assistance in the planning and implementation of any plan of apportionment or reapportionment of any governmental entity involved in the electoral process;

• (14) The county election commissioners may not employ themselves or any of their spouses, parents, siblings, in-laws or children as administrator;

• (15) Preparation of a plan for placing precinct voting locations and presentation of such plan to the election commission for approval;

• (16) Preparation of a plan for early voting sites and presentation of such plan to the election commission for approval; and

• (17) Upon request, assist the:
  • (A) City councils, as appropriate, for cities located in the county;
  • (B) County legislative body;
  • (C) Local board of education; and
  • (D) Members of the general assembly representing the county, concerning redistricting in 2012, and thereafter every two-year period following each decennial census taken by the United States census bureau.

Amended by 2013 Tenn. Acts, ch. 268,Secs.s2, s3 eff. 4/25/2013.

Acts 1972, ch. 740, § 1; T.C.A., § 2-1209; Acts 1993, ch. 518, §§ 3, 21; 1999, ch. 197, § 12; 1999, ch. 232, § 1; 2011, ch. 109, §§ 1-3; 2011, ch. 236, § 2.