Guide to Voting in Shelby County, TN with a Felony Conviction

Guide to Voting in Shelby County, TN with a Felony Conviction

Most Tennesseans with a felony conviction in any state or federal court have lost their right to vote but can regain that right. Others with a felony conviction never lost their right to vote and remain eligible.

 

DID YOU LOSE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE?

 

The date of your conviction and the felony you were convicted of determines your eligibility to vote in Tennessee.

If Your Felony Conviction was Before January 15, 1973

You are eligible to vote unless you were convicted of one of the 21 felonies listed below and only if the judgment of conviction included a statement finding the crime “infamous.”

The 21 felonies that bar you from voting are:

  • Abusing a female child;
  • Arson and felonious burning;
  • Bigamy;
  • Bribery;
  • Burglary; Felonious breaking into a business house, outhouse other than a dwelling house; Larceny; Horse stealing; Robbery; Receiving stolen property; Felonious breaking and entering a dwelling house.
  • Stealing bills of exchange or other valuable papers; Counterfeiting; Forgery;
  • Destroying a will;
  • Incest; Rape; Sodomy; Buggery;
  • Perjury; Subordination of perjury.

To register to vote, you must submit a voter registration application with documentation that verifies the date of the conviction and the type of felony (to show it was not a felony causing a loss of voting rights) to avoid automatic rejection of the application.

If convicted of one of the 21 felonies and found “infamous,” your voting rights may be restored. You can petition the circuit court where the felony occurred or where you live for the restoration of full rights of citizenship, which includes voting rights. The court may grant or deny your petition. A copy of the granted petition must be submitted with your voter registration application to avoid rejection.

 

If Your Felony Conviction was Between January 15, 1973, and May 17, 1981

You are eligible to vote if convicted of any felony during this period. You never lost your right to vote.

Documentation verifying the date of the conviction must be attached to your voter registration application or it will be rejected.

 

If your Felony Conviction was on or After May 18, 1981

You are not eligible to vote if convicted of any felony during this period. In most instances, you may regain your eligibility to vote through the completion of a Certificate of Restoration of Voting Rights.

If convicted of one of a small number of specific criminal offenses, you are permanently barred from voting. Those felonies are: 

  • Voter fraud, treason, first-degree murder and aggravated rape from July 1, 1986, through June 30, 1996;
  • voter fraud, treason, and any degree of murder or rape from July 1, 1996, through June 30, 2006; and
  • voter fraud, treason, any degree of murder or rape, certain felonies involving bribery, misconduct involving public officials and employees, or interference with government operations, and any felony sexual offense where the victim was a minor on or after July 1, 2006.

If your felony conviction was for anything else, you can restore your right to vote with a certificate.

 

A misdemeanor conviction never results in a loss of voting rights. This is the case even if the accused was originally charged with a felony but pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. You also don’t lose your voting rights if you were charged with a felony but successfully completed a diversion program or had your case dismissed.

 

CAN YOU REGAIN YOUR VOTING RIGHTS?

You can regain your right to vote even if you were convicted of a felony that carried with it the loss of voting rights if:

  • Your felony conviction was reversed on appeal,
  • you received a pardon, or
  • the conviction was expunged.

Documentation of these events must accompany the voter registration application, or the election commission will reject your application. The voter registration application does not clearly state that documentation must be provided for convictions expunged or reversed on appeal.

Petitioning for the Restoration of Citizenship Rights

You can petition a circuit court for restoration of the full rights of citizenship, which includes voting rights. To use this process of restoration, you cannot have a conviction that permanently disqualifies you from voting. You would file the petition, with the assistance of an attorney, in the circuit court in Tennessee where the felony occurred or where you live.  

For Additional Information on Voter Registration

To obtain assistance in understanding the restoration of voting rights process and your ability to register to vote, contact a Voter Specialist at the Shelby County Election Commission at (901) 222-1212 or (901) 222-1200.

                                 League of Women Voters Memphis and Shelby County

P.O. Box 383291, Memphis, TN 38183

Website: www.lwvmemphisshelby.org

Email: lwvmsc [at] gmail.com ()

Phone: (901) 300-0235

This document is intended as an informational resource. It is not meant to provide legal advice. (06/2025)