RG 011. Records of the Election Commission

The Montgomery County Election Commission is a state mandated and appointed department that conducts all local elections and voter registration. The early origin of this agency is unclear, but by the early 1900s the Montgomery County Election Commission, then known as the Board of Election Commissioners, was administering all local elections. Over the years the exact makeup changed frequently due to changes of state law. The commission is currently made up of five members based on political party affiliation. Three members are selected by the majority party of the Tennessee State Election Commission and two members from the minority party (TCA 2-12-103). Originally, the Election Commission worked in cooperation with registrars in each district of the county to register voters for each election cycle. When state law changed in 1949 to legalize permanent voter registration, the Election Commission appointed a County Registrar. This office became the Administrator of Elections after the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill renaming it in 1997. The Election Commission appoints an Administrator of Elections to run the day-to-day operations of the elections office, maintain voter registrations, and prepare for and carry out the election process (TCA 2-12-201).