T.C.A. § 2-5-101 Time For Filing - Required Signatures - Failure to File - Filing Office Hours - Prohibited Acts - Death Or Late Withdrawal of Candidates

• Library: Tennessee Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through Acts 2023-2024, ch. 488, and 2023EX1, ch. 4
• Year: 2023
• Citation: T.C.A. § 2-5-101

(a) Candidates shall qualify by filing all nominating petitions, including any duplicate nominating petitions, by the deadlines set out in the schedule in this section. The qualifying deadline for any office not included in this section shall be twelve o'clock (12:00) noon, prevailing time, on the third Thursday in the third calendar month before the election.

(1) Independent and primary candidates for any office to be filled at the regular November election for which a primary is required to be held at the regular August election shall qualify by filing such candidates' nominating petitions no later than twelve o'clock (12:00) noon, prevailing time, on the first Thursday in April.

(2) Independent and primary candidates for any office to be filled in a regular August general election for which a May primary has been called under § 2-13-203 shall qualify by filing their petitions for the August election no later than twelve o'clock (12:00) noon, prevailing time, on the third Thursday in February. In the event no May primary authorized under § 2-13-203 is called for any office to be filled in the regular August general election, then the candidates shall qualify by filing their petitions no later than twelve o'clock (12:00) noon, prevailing time, on the first Thursday in April. In presidential election years, if a political party calls for the county primary in March, the qualifying deadline for candidates in the primary and independent candidates for those offices shall be twelve o'clock (12:00) noon, prevailing time, on the second Thursday in December. Independent candidates for offices which will appear on the county primary ballot shall qualify by filing their petitions at the same time primary candidates qualify.

(3) Candidates in municipal elections held in conjunction with the regular August election shall file their nominating petitions no later than twelve o'clock (12:00) noon, prevailing time, on the first Thursday in April. Candidates in municipal elections held in conjunction with the presidential preference primary election shall file their nominating petitions no later than twelve o'clock (12:00) noon, prevailing time, on the second Thursday in December. Candidates in all other municipal elections shall file their nominating petitions no later than twelve o'clock (12:00) noon, prevailing time, on the third Thursday in the third calendar month before the election.

(4) In counties having a population in excess of six hundred thousand (600,000), according to the federal census of 1970 or any subsequent census, candidates in municipal elections will file their nominating petitions in accordance with time and date as prescribed for the August primary and November general election. When a special election is being held in conjunction with either a municipal August primary or November general election, the time of qualifying for candidates to the office for which the special election is being held shall conform and be governed by the same time and the same date prescribed for the municipal August primary or November general election; but in no way shall the time for qualifying specified by this subdivision (a)(4) be less than the qualifying time prescribed for the special election.