As Tennessee’s nine Division I Public Universities gear up for football season, they are also working with the Secretary of State’s office to hold a voter registration drive during the tailgate before a home game at each school.
“Like most Tennesseans, we love college football and the excitement of game day,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “These Voter Registration Tailgates are the perfect opportunity for us to show students and fans how easy it is to register to vote in Tennessee so that they can get in the game and make their voice heard on Election Day."
The Voter Registration Tailgates will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 11, at Tennessee Tech University, East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Voter Registration Tailgates will continue at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Tennessee State University on Saturday, Sept. 18, the University of Memphis on Saturday, Sept. 25 and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee State University and Austin Peay State University on Saturday, Oct. 2.
At each tailgate, students and football fans will be guided through the registration process in minutes using the Secretary of State’s fast, easy and secure online voter registration system, GoVoteTN.gov. They will also be able to get their questions about Tennessee’s easy voting process answered by local election officials.
The Secretary of State’s office is working with students, university leadership and staff, athletic departments, student government associations, campus civic engagement organizations and local county election commissions to host the Voter Registration Tailgates.
“With the county election commission staff, everyone from the universities and student volunteers, we know we have a winning team to promote voter registration across our state,” said Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins.
The Voter Registration Tailgates are part of the Secretary of State’s ongoing efforts to help all eligible Tennesseans register to vote and are one of the many initiatives the office is carrying out in celebration of National Voter Registration Month.
For the latest details about the Voter Registration Tailgates, follow the Secretary of State’s social media channels Twitter: @SecTreHargett, Facebook: Tennessee Secretary of State and Instagram: @tnsecofstate.
For more information about registering to vote in Tennessee, go to GoVoteTN.gov or call the Division of Elections toll-free at 1-877-850-4959.