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Ahead of Tennessee voter registration deadline Tuesday for the 2024 election cycle, 190,000 new voters have registered in Tennessee. This surge in new registrants reflects a continued trend of heightened voter engagement in major election years, with a notable increase in youth participation. Data analyzed from January 2024 through mid-September 2024 highlights a bright spot for Tennessee’s voter registration numbers. However, the ongoing challenges of low voter turnout and engagement remain, as the state continues to rank among the lowest in the nation when it comes to overall voter participation and registration. 

Tennessee’s voter registration efforts have seen fluctuations in recent years. The number of new registrants by mid-September in each election cycle tells the story of growing civic participation:

– 2024: 190,000 

– 2022: 120,000 

– 2020: 230,000 (a record-breaking year for registrations) 

– 2018: 130,000 

While the 2020 election cycle remains a high-point for voter registration (driven by nationwide increase in voter engagement and registration), 2024’s 190,000 new registrants surpasses the numbers from both 2022 and 2018. This marks a 58% increase from 2022 and a 46% increase from the last midterm cycle in 2018. In 2022, Tennessee’s voter registration rate was 67.4%, below the national average of 69.1%, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, ranking 43rd out of 50 states plus the District of Columbia. (United States Census Bureau) 

One of the most exciting findings this year is the 10% increase in youth registration. In 2020, only 50% of new registrants were aged 18-34. This year, that number has jumped to 60%, adding nearly 90,000 new young voters to the electorate. This significant increase makes the state overall voter pool 1% more youth leaning than it was at the start of the year. 

“CivicTN and its coalition partners have made outreach to younger voters a priority in 2024. While Tennessee ranked last in youth voter turnout in 2022, the registration numbers for this demographic in 2024 are promising. We’re hopeful that this registration increase will translate into a higher turnout for youth in the upcoming election,” says Matia Powell, Executive Director of CivicTN.

The top counties leading the surge in voter registration are: 11. Davidson County – 17,000; 12. Shelby County – 15,000; 13. Knox County – 13,000; 14. Hamilton County – 11,000; 15. Rutherford County – 11,000; 16. Williamson County – 10,000; 17. Montgomery County – 8,000; 18. Sumner County – 7,000; 19. Wilson County – 5,000; 20. Sullivan County – 5,000.

Davidson and Shelby counties lead the state in new voter registrations, but many of Tennessee’s fastest-growing counties, such as Montgomery and Rutherford, are also seeing major increases. This reflects the state’s shifting population dynamics and highlights CivicTN’s commitment in ensuring voter engagement efforts meet the changing needs of these areas.