For the State & Federal Primary and State & County General Election on Thursday, August 4, early voting will end Saturday, July 30. The absentee ballot request deadline is today, Thursday, July 28. 

For the State & Federal General Election on Tuesday, November 8, early voting will be from Wednesday, October 19, to Thursday, November 3. The absentee ballot request deadline will be Tuesday, November 1. 

How to qualify for absentee voting 

In order to be counted, absentee ballots must be received by mail at the Election Commission office (100 Public Square West Basement, Shelbyville, TN, 37160) by Election Day on August 4.  

A request to the Election Commission for a ballot may not be processed more than 90 days before an election. The last day to receive a request for an absentee ballot is seven days before the election (for example, July 28 for the August 4 election). 

Forms can be found on the Bedford County government website.  

To vote absentee (by mail), a registered voter must fall under one of these categories: 

• sixty (60) years of age or older 
• be outside Bedford County during all hours of early voting and before the polls close on Election Day 
• be hospitalized, ill, or physically disabled and unable to appear at your polling place to vote; and/or you have determined it is impossible or unreasonable to vote in-person due to the COVID-19 situation 
• are a caretaker of a hospitalized, ill or physically disabled person 

• you or your spouse are enrolled as a full-time student outside of Bedford County 
• reside in a licensed facility outside of Bedford County, providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, i.e., nursing home 
• candidate for office in the election for which you are applying to vote absentee by mail 
• are observing a religious holiday  
• will be serving as an election official or a member or employee of the election commission on Election Day 

• will be serving on jury duty in state or federal court 
• are a voter with a disability and polling place is inaccessible 
• have a CDL or TWIC or you are the spouse of a person with a CDL or TWIC and will be out of Bedford County during early voting and Election Day and have no address out of the county to receive mail during this time (a copy of the CDL or TWIC number must be provided in the application) 
• are a member of the military, spouse, or dependent 
• are an activated National Guard member on state orders 

• are an overseas citizen and otherwise qualified to vote in Tennessee
  

Permanent Absentee Voters  

To become a permanent absentee voter and automatically have a request for an absentee ballot application sent to you before every election, your physician must complete the physician's statement (included in the permanent absentee ballot form) certifying that, in the physician's judgement, you are medically unable to vote in person. 

The physician's statement must be completed no less than seven 7 days before an election. 

Contact the absentee/early voting department directly at 931-684-0531 or at summer.leverette@bedfordcountytn.gov with any questions.