Tag Archives: secretary of state

First statewide TN student mock election set

News release from secretary of state’s office
Nashville, Tennessee – (August 24, 2016) – Tennessee’s first ever statewide Student Mock Election is off to an amazing start. As of today, more than 170 schools across the state are registered to participate, meaning an estimated 76,000 students will do something most kids can’t: vote for president of the United States.

Now the Secretary of State’s office is also rolling out an essay contest to encourage students to be actively engaged citizens. Essays topics will be about voting and length requirements vary by grade level. Schools may submit two essays at each grade level. Winners from each level will receive a TNStars 529 College Savings Program scholarship worth $100, $250 or $500 in addition to a trip to the State Capitol. Continue reading →

Early voting begins today for August primary

News release from Secretary of State’s office
Nashville, Tennessee – (July 15, 2016) – Early voting for the August 4 state primary and county general election is now underway. Voting will continue Mondays through Saturdays and end Saturday, July 30.

Secretary of State Tre Hargett is encouraging voters to take advantage of early voting, which allows people to cast a ballot when it’s convenient for them.

“Tennesseans broke records during the March 1 ‘SEC Primary’ by taking advantage of early voting,” Secretary Hargett said. “It will be exciting to see Tennesseans participate in the electoral process this August and November.” Continue reading →

TN begins licensing fantasy sports operators

News release from TN Secretary of State’s office
Nashville, Tennessee – (July 5, 2016) – The Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming has a new name. Effective July 1, it’s now the Division of Charitable Solicitations, Fantasy Sports and Gaming. The division’s new title is a result of the Fantasy Sports Act of 2016 approved by the General Assembly and signed into law in April.

The new law requires fantasy sports operators to obtain a license with the division. The license requirement applies to fantasy sports operators who offer daily and season-long contests that charge players an entry fee to assemble imaginary teams and subsequently offer prizes as a result of the outcome of those games. Examples include DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo! Sports.

There is no requirement for players to register with the Division of Charitable Solicitations, Fantasy Sports and Gaming. Free games where players do not pay an entry fee to win a prize are also excluded from the law. Continue reading →

TN presidential primary candidate list finalized

News release from Secretary of State’s office
Nashville, Tennessee – (December 17, 2015) – Today marks an important milestone on the road to the White House, which will cross Tennessee during the 2016 election cycle. Secretary of State Tre Hargett has now certified the names of presidential candidates for the March 1 presidential preference primary, or “SEC Primary,” when Tennessee will join six other southern states to help decide who will be the next president of the United States.

“It is likely one of these men or women will hold our country’s highest elected office. Hopefully Tennesseans understand how much of an impact their votes will make,” Secretary Hargett said.

It’s important to note that once a candidate is certified for a party primary they are unable to appear on the November 8 general election ballot as the nominee of a different political party. Hargett presented the list of 14 Republicans and three Democrats to the State Election Commission December 1.
Continue reading →

Next TN Blue Book will be dedicated to Sen. Howard Baker

News release from Tennessee Secretary of State’s office
Nashville, Tennessee – (November 16, 2015) – The 2015-2016 edition of the Tennessee Blue Book will be dedicated to the late U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker, Jr. of Scott County.

Baker’s lengthy and storied career spanned seven decades, including winning 56 percent of the popular vote in 1966 to become Tennessee’s first Republican U.S. senator since Reconstruction. He rose to national prominence during the Watergate hearings as vice chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee, when he uttered that famous question, “What did the president know, and when did he know it?”

After a brief bid for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination, Baker served as senate majority leader and helped pass President Ronald Reagan’s first-term tax cuts. He later served as President Reagan’s chief of staff (1987-1988) as well as becoming the U.S. ambassador to Japan during President George W. Bush’s administration.

After retirement, Baker devoted much of his time to the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee and once said that he would be remembered longest for his key role in the creation of the 125,000-acre Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, which spans over land in both Tennessee and Kentucky.

“Senator Baker set the highest of standards for excellence in public service to our great state and nation. He did this by showing respect for others, demonstrating a high regard for collaboration and civil discourse, and, most of all, by the love he exemplified for his fellow Tennesseans, all of which were hallmarks of his great life,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett.

The Tennessee Blue Book, which is published every two years, is the definitive manual on Tennessee state government with detailed information about all three branches of government, Tennessee history, election statistics and more. The Blue Book, published by the Secretary of State’s office, is available free of charge to Tennessee residents.
The 2015-2016 edition will be released in early 2016.
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Note: Politico did an interesting remembrance piece on Baker on Nov. 15, which would have been his 90th birthday. (Though, yes, they have the year of his birth wrong in the headline — it was 1925, not 1945.)