HB886 SB777 / Requires voters to declare a party affiliation prior to voting.

This bill would overhaul Tennessee’s voter registration and primary election process by requiring every new or existing voter to declare a party affiliation (majority party, minority party, recognized minor party, or “Unaffiliated”) on the permanent registration record. Under the new provisions, anyone registering on or after November 1, 2025, must choose a party affiliation at sign-up. Voters already on the rolls before that date will declare their party when they next participate in a primary or during a regular registration window.

The proposal also tightens up primary voting rules. Voters who decline to affiliate in advance may still vote in a primary only if it is their first primary after November 1, 2025, and they affirm allegiance to that party on election day—an allegiance that then becomes part of their permanent record. Any subsequent change in party affiliation must be filed in writing with the county election commission at least 90 days before the desired primary. Election administrators must update or default unrecognized or lapsed minor-party voters to “Unaffiliated.”

By codifying party affiliation on the voter file, the state aims to formalize closed primary procedures and ensure that only registered party members—or newly unaligned voters affirming loyalty once—participate in each party’s nomination contests. The measure takes effect November 1, 2025, and directs county commissions to revise forms, instructions, and procedures accordingly.