According to a spokesperson for the Tennessee Secretary of State, 25 Shelby County voters cast early ballot votes outside legal voting hours.
This comes after Tre Hargett’s office was notified about early ballots being cast an hour before the polls opened in Cordova for some high school students that wanted to submit their vote before school.
“Today we became aware 25 voters in Shelby County were allowed to vote outside the county’s publicly advertised early voting hours,” said the spokesman. “While the voters were eligible to cast ballots, voting must occur during the hours that have been properly noticed in accordance with Tennessee law.”
Hargett’s office maintains that voting outside the hours established for voting is not “consistent with legal requirements.”
Tennessee Code Annotated 2-6-102(a)(1) states that early votes must be casted within the early voting period.
The spokesperson also stated, “We take any departure from established procedures seriously and remain committed to ensuring that all voters are treated fairly and that elections are conducted according to Tennessee law.”
