Think tank’s report draws from state and county-level data to examine the scope of voting rights restoration in Tennessee, providing geographic and demographic analysis
NASHVILLE – Tennesseans lose their voting rights after receiving a felony conviction, and with some exceptions and requirements, they could be eligible to have their rights restored. Analyzing state and county-level data, a new report series from nonpartisan think tank ThinkTennessee seeks to quantify how many Tennesseans have been impacted. In Part 1 of the series, the think tank uses criminal conviction and voter list maintenance data to find that since January 1996, 321,942 Tennesseans have lost their voting rights because of a felony conviction. And between the 2008 and 2024 election cycles, 96,167 Tennesseans were removed from voter rolls because of a felony conviction.
“This report brings a new detailed, data-driven view of how many Tennesseans have lost their voting rights that has not previously existed at the state level,” said Erin Hafkenschiel, president of ThinkTennessee. “Understanding where those losses are concentrated will help policymakers and advocates determine where additional focus could help those who may be eligible to have their voting rights restored.”
An exact number of how many Tennesseans are currently without voting rights is not possible to calculate because we cannot account for numerous factors, such as those who have moved to Tennessee with an out-of-state conviction or those who moved away from Tennessee after an in-state conviction. However, the report is able to quantify the number of Tennesseans who have lost voting rights because of a felony conviction using data from the Tennessee Department of Corrections and the Administrative Office of the Courts, and the number of registered voters removed from voter rolls using voter list maintenance data.
Key Takeaways:
- From 1996 to mid-September 2025, 321,942 people lost voting rights due to a felony conviction.
- White and male individuals and lower-level felonies accounted for the overwhelming majority of convictions.
- The highest number of convictions occur in the larger counties, but over time most counties’ convictions have increased.
- From November 2008 to November 2024, 96,167 registered voters were removed from voter rolls due to a felony conviction.
- Felony convictions account for 2.9% of the total voters removed in this time period.
- Counties saw varying levels of removals due to felony convictions, ranging from 0.81% to 11.1% of total removals.
- Total removals for felony convictions fluctuated from cycle to cycle and have been increasing since 2020.
This report is Part 1 of a new series Restoring Voting Rights in Tennessee – you can find the full report on our website at thinktennessee.org/research/elections-civic-life. The next edition will explore what eligibility for restoration looks like in Tennessee based on sentence completion and the three elements of legal financial obligations – restitution, court costs, and child support.
