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Elections - Historical Notes

Tennessee Code Annotated
Tennessee Attorney General Opinions

The following is a listing of acts for Henderson County which affected the elective process, but which have been superseded or repealed.  They are listed here for historical and reference purposes.  Also referenced below are acts which repeal prior law without providing new substantive provisions.

  1. Public Acts of 1821, Chapter 46, placed Henderson County in a state senatorial district with Stewart, Humphreys, Perry, Henry and Carroll Counties.  The polls would be compared at Reynoldsburgh in Humphreys County.
  2. Public Acts of 1822, Chapter 1, established nine U.S. Congressional Districts in the State.  Henderson County was in the 9th District, along with the counties of Wayne, Perry, Hardin, Perry, Lawrence, Henry, Carroll, Madison, Shelby, and such other counties as might be formed west of the Tennessee River.
  3. Public Acts of 1823, Chapter 47, divided the State into eleven electoral districts.  The 11th District was composed of Wayne, Hardin, Perry and all counties west of the Tennessee River (which included Henderson County).  The 11th District would choose one elector.
  4. Public Acts of 1824, Chapter 1, was very similar to Public Acts of 1823, Chapter 47, assigning the same counties to the 11th Electoral District to choose one elector.  The electors were to convene at Murfreesborough, Rutherford County, to vote for President and Vice-President of the United States.
  5. Public Acts of 1826, Chapter 3, apportioned the State for representation in the General Assembly.  Henderson County was placed in a senatorial district along with Stewart, Humphreys and Perry Counties to elect one of the 20 Senators, and Henderson, Madison and Haywood Counties would elect one of the 40 Representatives.  The returning officers for each senatorial district were directed to convene at Reynoldsburgh in Humphreys County.
  6. Public Acts of 1827, Chapter 17, divided Tennessee into eleven electoral districts,  placing Henderson County in the 11th Electoral District along with the counties of Henry, Weakley, Obion, Carroll, Gibson, Dyer, Madison, Haywood, Tipton, McNairy, Hardeman, Fayette and Shelby.
  7. Public Acts of 1832, Chapter 4, divided the State into thirteen U.S. Congressional Districts and placed Henderson County in the 13th Congressional District along with the counties of Perry, McNairy, Hardeman, Fayette, Shelby and Tipton.
  8. Public Acts of 1832, Chapter 9, divided the State into 15 electoral districts.  Henderson County was placed in the 14th District along with the counties of Hardeman, Hardin, McNairy, Madison, Fayette and Shelby.  Each district would choose one elector to vote for President and Vice-President of the United States.
  9. Public Acts of 1833, Chapter 71, divided the State into senatorial and representative districts.  Henderson, Stewart, Humphreys and Perry counties were placed in a senatorial district to elect one State Senator, and Hardin and Henderson Counties were placed in a representative district to elect one State Representative.  The returning officers of the senatorial district would meet at Reynoldsburgh, and for the representative district, at Kendall's Store in Hardin County.
  10. Public Acts of 1833, Chapter 76, provided for the election of 60 delegates to the State Constitutional Convention.  Henderson County would elect one delegate.
  11. Public Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 39, divided the State into fifteen electoral districts.  Henderson County was placed in the 14th District along with the counties of Hardeman, Hardin, McNairy, Madison, Fayette and Shelby.
  12. Acts of 1839-40, Chapter 79, provided that each U.S. Congressional District would constitute an Electoral District from which one elector would be chosen, and that there would be two at-large electors.  Qualified voters in the State could vote for all fifteen electors.
  13. Acts of 1842 (2nd Sess.), Chapter 1, apportioned the free white male voters of the State into 25 senatorial districts, placing Henderson County in the 24th Senatorial District along with the counties of Perry and McNairy, with the votes to be counted at Lexington.  Henderson County would elect one of the 75 State Representatives.  This act was repealed by Public Acts of 1978, Chapter 597.
  14. Acts of 1842 (2nd Sess.), Chapter 7, divided the State into eleven U. S. Congressional Districts, placing Henderson County in  the 11th District along with the counties of Perry, Madison, Carroll, Gibson, Weakley and Obion.
  15. Public Acts of 1865, Chapter 34, divided the State into eight U. S. Congressional Districts.  Henderson County was placed in the 7th District along with the counties of Benton, Henry, Weakley, Obion, Dyer, Gibson, Lauderdale and Carroll.
  16. Public Acts of 1871, Chapter 146, provided that Henderson County would elect one State Representative.  Henderson, Hardin, Decatur, Benton and McNairy Counties were placed in the 18th Senatorial District to elect one State Senator.
  17. Acts of 1872 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 7, divided Tennessee into nine U. S. Congressional Districts, placing Henderson County in the 7th District along with the counties of Montgomery, Houston, Stewart, Humphreys, Benton, Henry, Carroll, Decatur, Perry, Hardin and McNairy.
  18. Public Acts of 1873, Chapter 27, divided the State into ten U. S. Congressional Districts, placing Henderson County in the 8th District along with the counties of Henry, Benton, Carroll, Perry, Decatur, Hardin, McNairy and Madison.
  19. Public Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 5, fixed the number of Senators in the General Assembly at 33 and the number of Representatives at 99.
  20. Public Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 6, placed Henderson and Madison Counties in the 25th Senatorial District to elect one of the 33 State Senators.  Henderson County would elect one State Representative alone and would share a floater with Madison County.
  21. Public Acts of 1882 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 27, divided the State into ten U. S. Congressional Districts, placing Henderson County in the 8th District along with the counties of Henry, Benton, Perry, Decatur, Hardin, McNairy, Madison and Carroll.
  22. Public Acts of 1891, Chapter 131, apportioned the State into ten U. S. Congressional Districts, placing Henderson County in the 8th District along with the counties of Henry, Benton, Perry, Decatur, Hardin, McNairy, Madison, Carroll and Chester.
  23. Acts of 1891 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 10, provided that Henderson County would elect one State Representative.  Henderson County was placed in the 26th Senatorial District with Madison County, to elect one Senator.
  24. Acts of 1901, Chapter 109, created ten U. S. Congressional Districts in the State, placing Henderson County in the 8th District along with the counties of Henry, Benton, Perry, Carroll, Decatur, Chester, Madison, McNairy and Hardin.
  25. Acts of 1901, Chapter 122, divided the State into senatorial and representative districts, placing Henderson County in the 25th Senatorial District along with Madison and Chester Counties.  Henderson and Madison Counties were placed in the 23rd Representative District to elect one State Representative. 
  26. Acts of 1903, Chapter 536, provided that Henderson County would be subject to the provisions of the Registration Law and the Dortch Law governing elections.
  27. Acts of 1905, Chapter 400, removed the voter registration requirement in Henderson County so that registration was no longer a prerequisite to voting.  The Election Commission of the county was directed to appoint two Registrars for each polling precinct.  Wallace v. Lewallen, 210 S.W.2d 684, 686 (Tenn. 1948), cites an unpublished opinion in which this act withstood constitutional challenge.
  28. Private Acts of 1945, Chapter 347, set the compensation of judges, clerks and officers holding general or primary elections in Henderson County at $3 per day, for one day only.