The power of the private ballot; how Tennessee laws protect your vote

By SUSAN SHARP

CAMPBELL COUNTY, TN. (WLAF)- Can someone see who a person voted for in an election? No.

Voting in Tennessee is a private action with ballots being secure and not available for public consumption.

While voting records can be accessed through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and paying a reproduction fee, the information contained in them is limited. Those records will only disclose if there was a primary, which party a voter affiliated with and if someone voted in an election.

Tennessee uses paper ballots, and there are no names attached to these ballots, according to Campbell County Administrator of Elections Mallory Rosenfeld. Furthermore, the “Campbell County Election Commission does not have the capability to attach a marked ballot to a person’s name,” she said.

Ballots in this county during early election, election day, and beyond are sealed and protected, she said.  

And for those concerned about voting machines being hacked by outside entities, it can’t happen. Voting machines in Campbell County are not connected to the Internet.

Attempting to sway an election with threats, intimidation, violence, force or restraint is a crime under state law. This extends to who a person does or does not vote for and if they vote or not.

CLICK HERE to read the full law.

Under this law, anyone convicted of this crime is subject to 11 months, 29 days in jail and up to a $2,500 fine.

“This is taken very seriously, if the Campbell County Election Commission receives accusations of such, our office’s first priority is to get such a complaint written on paper and sent directly to the District Attorney. Our office works closely with the District Attorney on all election matters,” said Rosenfeld. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED 4/21/2026-6AM- IMAGE COURTESY OF FORWARDJUSTICE.ORG)