Politics
Tennessee officials say routine ballot notes do not invalidate votes
Secretary of State Tre Hargett says poll workers’ administrative marks do not disqualify ballots, contrary to a viral social media claim. The warning came as Tennessee’s 2026 early-voting period opened with statewide and federal races on the ballot.
Tennessee voters should not assume their ballots are invalid if a poll worker makes an administrative notation on them, Secretary of State Tre Hargett said as early voting began Oct. 14.
Hargett said his office had received calls and emails about a viral social media post claiming that any writing by a poll worker — including a letter or checkmark — would disqualify a ballot. That claim is false, he said.
“In Tennessee, a ballot is not disqualified simply because an election official or poll worker makes an administrative notation on it,” Hargett said in a statement released on the first day of early voting.
The post has circulated during previous election cycles, including the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, and prompted election officials in several states to respond. It did not originate in Tennessee, according to the source text.
Early voting in Tennessee runs through Oct. 23. The November midterm ballot includes the governor’s race, a U.S. Senate seat, all nine U.S. House seats, state legislative races and three proposed constitutional amendments. Two amendments concern criminal justice; the third would limit the state’s authority to impose a property tax.
Voters can find early-voting locations through the state’s election website.