Tennessee students can choose where to vote

Tennessee’s residency rule

Tennessee law gives voters flexibility in determining whether they qualify as state residents for voting. For college students, that means attending school in Tennessee does not automatically settle where they vote.

A student may choose to qualify as a Tennessee resident and vote in the state. The student may instead keep home as the place where they vote. Neither the campus location nor the home location is mandatory solely because the student attends a Tennessee college.

This is a general residency rule rather than a policy connected to a particular race or election. It applies when a college student is deciding whether Tennessee or home will be the student’s voting residence.

Making the choice

Students weighing the two options should start with a straightforward question: Do I choose to qualify as a Tennessee resident for voting, or do I vote at home? Tennessee’s flexible approach allows either answer for college students.

The choice belongs to the student. Two students attending the same Tennessee college may make different decisions because each can choose between voting in Tennessee and voting at home.

Choosing Tennessee means treating the state as the student’s residence for voting. Choosing home means voting there instead of selecting Tennessee as the voting residence. The rule does not require all students at a college to make the same choice, and it does not tie that choice to a specific candidate or contest.