According to Tennessee law, people who request an absentee ballot cannot vote in person.
Voters must be sure when applying for an absentee ballot, they absolutely do not want to vote in person, said Linda Phillips, administrator of elections for the Shelby County Election Commission (SCEC).
“A voter who has submitted a request for an absentee ballot and then shows up at a polling location will not be allowed to vote except by provisional ballot,” said Ms. Phillips.
Absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day (Aug. 6th), either by U.S. Mail, or by a private carrier, such as UPS or FedEx. Dropping off a ballot in person is not allowed in Tennessee.
Although it is correct that a ballot will be delivered without a stamp, it does not mean that a ballot with no stamp will arrive at the SCEC in time for the deadline. Best to use a stamp and mail well in advance, according to the SCEC.
Those who decide they definitely want to vote absentee can find the form online at www.shelbyvote.com<https://www.shelbyvote.com>, or call 222-1200. The last day to request an absentee ballot for the August election is July 30th.
Link to absentee FAQs: https://www.shelbyvote.com/absentee-voting-faqs
Changes in voting sites
Bellevue Baptist Church is no longer an early voting site. Voters who, in the past, chose to cast their ballots there may now vote at Briarwood Church, located at 1900 N. Germantown Pky.
Those who voted in the past at Bellevue Frayser, located at 5759 N. Watkins, may still vote at the church at that address, but the name has changed to The Pursuit of God Church.
“Even though the North Watkins location only involved a name change, we felt it was important to point that out, because often voters associate a polling location with the facility’s name, not the address,” said Ms. Phillips.
The Briarwood Church and the The Pursuit of God Church locations both are marked as new locations on the listing of early voting sites on the Shelby County Election Commission’s website. The following link goes directly to the early voting location page. https://www.shelbyvote.com/sites/default/files/documents/Early%20Voting%20Locations%20for%20Web%20Aug.%202020.pdf
During the early voting period, voters may choose to cast their ballots at any of 26 locations around the county. On Election Day, all voters must vote at the location assigned to their precincts.
Early voting starts July 17th and continues until Aug. 1st. On Election Day (Aug. 6th), polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
Most early voting locations are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday – Friday, except the downtown location, which is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All locations are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday July 18th, and Saturday July 25th. Saturday Aug. 1st, the last day of early voting, all locations are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Link to August election details: https://www.shelbyvote.com/elections/county-general-state-federal-primary-862020
