(a) Contests for the office of presidential and vice presidential elector shall be decided finally and unreviewably before the last day of November by the presidential electors tribunal composed of the governor, secretary of state and attorney general and reporter.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 2-17-103

  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
(b) A petition of contest shall be filed with the secretary of state and a copy of the petition delivered to the chair of the state executive committee of the political party against whose electors the complaint is made within ten (10) days after the election. The petition shall state each ground of complaint specifically and concisely.
(c) A hearing shall be held on the petition between the fifth and tenth day after it is filed at a time and place set by the governor. The governor shall publish a notice of the hearing in each grand division in a newspaper of general circulation. No other pleadings are required. The complaining political party or candidate for elector and each other candidate may be present at the hearing in person and by counsel, may examine and cross-examine witnesses, and may introduce evidence relevant to the grounds of protest.
(d) The governor may administer oaths and subpoena witnesses for the tribunal. The hearing is not subject to the rules of evidence as applied in courts.
(e) After deciding the contest by majority vote, the tribunal shall record its decision and file it with the returns of the election. The governor, secretary of state, and the attorney general and reporter shall then proceed under § 2-8-110 as in uncontested elections.
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