Elections - Historical Notes

The following is a listing of acts for Meigs County which affected the elective process, but which have been superseded or repealed.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. Acts of 1842 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 1, apportioned the State for the General Assembly. Of the 25 Senatorial District, Hamilton, Rhea, Marion, Bledsoe and Meigs Counties made up the 8th District and Rhea and Meigs County would elect one Representative between them with polls to be counted at Harrison in Hamilton County for Senator and at Washington in Rhea County for Representative.
2. Acts of 1842 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 7, divided Tennessee into eleven U. S. Congressional Districts placing Knox, Roane, Bledsoe, Rhea, Meigs, McMinn, Polk, Bradley, Hamilton and Marion Counties in the Third District.
3. Acts of 1851-52, Chapter 197, also apportioned the State for the General Assembly according to the 1850 Census. Polk, McMinn, and Meigs Counties would jointly elect one Representative, and Meigs, McMinn, Polk, and Monroe Counties would elect one Senator between them, all polls to be counted at Athens in McMinn County.
4. Acts of 1851-52, Chapter 196, divided the State into ten U.S. Congressional Districts. The Third District was made up of Blount, Monroe, Polk, McMinn, Rhea, Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, Roane, and Meigs County.
5. Acts of 1865, Chapter 34, reduced the number of U. S. Congressional Districts in Tennessee to eight probably due to the loss of life in the Civil War. The Third District was enlarged to include Rhea, Hamilton, Marion, Grundy, Bledsoe, Van Buren, Sequatchie, Warren, White, Smith, Cumberland, Putnam, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Dekalb, Fentress, and Meigs counties.
6. Acts of 1871, Chapter 146, apportioned Tennessee for the General Assembly. Meigs County was in the 6th State Senatorial District with Loudon, Monroe, McMinn, Bradley, and Polk and would elect one Representative jointly with James, Rhea, and Cumberland Counties.
7. Acts of 1872, Chapter 7, raised the U. S. Congressional Districts to nine. Meigs County was still in the Third District along with Blount, Loudon, Roane, Monroe, McMinn, Rhea, Polk, Bradley, James, Hamilton, Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Grundy, Van Buren, and Warren Counties.
8. Acts of 1873, Chapter 27, separated our State into ten U. S. Congressional Districts. The Third was composed of Polk, McMinn, Meigs, Rhea, Bradley, James, Hamilton, Marion, Grundy, Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Van Buren, White Warren, Dekalb, Cannon and Cumberland.
9. Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 6, redivided the State for the General Assembly of Tennessee. Rhea, James, Meigs, and Polk County would elect one Representative jointly and Polk, Bradley, James, McMinn, and Meigs would elect one State Senator.
10. Acts of 1882 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 27, established ten United States Congressional Districts in the State, and named the Counties in each one but Meigs County was not mentioned in any of them.
11. Acts of 1883, Chapter 237, amended Chapter 27, Acts of 1882 (2nd Ex. Sess.), above so that the Third U. S. Congressional District would be made up of Monroe, Polk, Bradley, Hamilton, Meigs, Rhea, Cumberland, James, McMinn, Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Marion, Grundy, Van Buren, White, and Warren Counties.
12. Acts of 1891 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 10, divided Tennessee for the General Assembly according to the 1890 census. Meigs, Hamilton, and James Counties would jointly elect one Representative and the 6th State Senatorial District would be made up of Anderson, Loudon, Blount, Roane, and Meigs Counties.
13. Acts of 1899, Chapter 391, amended Chapter 10, Acts of 1891 (Ex. Sess.), by striking Rhea County from the list of counties entitled to elect one Representative alone, and by removing Meigs County from the 6th Representative District and joining it to Rhea County so that the two would form the 21st Representative District of the state, and further amends the act by detaching Meigs from the 6th Senatorial District and attaching it to the 9th Senatorial District leaving Hamilton and James Counties in the 6th District.
14. Acts of 1901, Chapter 109, also apportioned Tennessee into ten U. S. Congressional Districts assigning Monroe, Polk, McMinn, Bradley, James, Hamilton, Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Van Buren, Grundy, White, Warren, Franklin, and Meigs Counties to the Third District.
15. Acts of 1901, Chapter 122, established 33 Senatorial Districts for Tennessee's General Assembly. In the 9th were Rhea, Meigs, Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Van Buren, White, and Cumberland Counties. Meigs and Rhea Counties made up the 10th Representative Districts.
16. Private Acts of 1949, Chapter 854, has been repealed in the writer's opinion by Chapter 740, Public Acts of 1972 (Adjourned Session). The Act provided for a system of permanent registration in Meigs County and suspended the operations of Section 1996 through 2026, William's Code, in Meigs County. These Sections of Williams were repealed by the Act above which states its purpose as being to establish uniform election and registration laws in Tennessee. The Act was very similar to the state law, containing most of the same provisions.