Elections - Historical Notes

Districts - Reapportionment

The acts listed below have affected the civil districts in Greene County, but are no longer operative regarding elections.  Also referenced below are acts which repeal prior law without providing new substantive provisions.

1. Private Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 114, authorized the county court of Greene County to alter the lines of the justices districts, number eight, ten and twelve, so as to include within the tenth district the farms of William Dickson, Mrs. Wyly, Mrs. Vistel, Richard M. Woods and Robert Malony.
2. Private Acts of 1901, Chapter 176, changed the boundary between Greene and Washington counties "so as to make the line of the farm of George H. Hartsell of the Fifteen Civil District of said county the line between the counties."
3. Acts of 1903, Chapter 445, abolished the first, sixth, eighth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth civil districts of Greene County, attaching their territory to other districts and renumbering the remaining districts.
4. Acts of 1905, Chapter 301, changed the boundary between the fifteenth and sixteenth civil districts, to include the farms of John Ratliff, George A. Crawford, John Bowser, and G. W. Smith in the fifteenth district.
5. Acts of 1905, Chapter 371, changed the boundaries between the fourth and seventh districts of Greene County.
6. Acts of 1905, Chapter 305, changed the boundaries between the eleventh and seventeenth civil districts of Greene County.
7. Acts of 1905, Chapter 420, changed the line between the twelfth and seventeenth civil districts of Greene County.
8. Private Acts of 1911, Chapter 103, repealed Acts of 1903, Chapter 445, Acts of 1905, Chapter 301, Acts of 1905, Chapter 305 and Acts of 1905, Chapter 420.
9. Acts of 1907, Chapter 65, changed the line between the fourth and nineteenth civil districts of Greene County, and while this act was not specifically repealed; it apparently was repealed by implication by Private Acts of 1911, Chapter 103, which re-established the Greene County civil districts as they existed prior to 1903.
10. Acts of 1909, Chapter 203, changed the voting place in the fourth civil district from Phillips' Schoolhouse to Mohawk School.
11. Acts of 1909, Chapter 291, changed the voting place in the sixteenth district from Cedar Grove to the Union Temple Schoolhouse.
12. Private Acts of 1923, Chapter 361, was the next legislative attempt to redistrict Greene County, by abolishing thirteen of the civil districts and redrawing the lines of the remaining twelve.  This act was specifically repealed by Private Acts of 1929, Chapter 927, 
13. Private Acts of 1923, Chapter 626, provided that all voting precincts in Greene County would remain as they had been prior to the passage of the redistricting act.
14. Private Acts of 1925, Chapter 116, changed the boundary between the fourth and twelfth civil districts of Greene County, but this act was repealed by implication when the Private Acts of 1929, Chapter 927, re-established the civil districts of Greene County as they had existed prior to the passage of the 1923 redistricting act.

Elections

The following is a listing of acts for Greene 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 1785, Laws of North Carolina, Chapter 46, authorized the inhabitants of Greene, Washington and Sullivan counties to elect members to represent them in the general assembly.
2. Acts of 1803, Chapter 24, provided that Greene, Washington, Carter and Sullivan counties would form the first district for the election of presidential electors and votes in such elections would be compared at the courthouse in Jonesborough.
3. Acts of 1805, Chapter 64, apportioned the state into legislative districts, with Greene County to elect one state senator and one representative to the state house.
4. Acts of 1807, Chapter 74, divided the state into five districts for the election of presidential electors, with Washington, Greene, Carter, Sullivan and Hawkins to form the first district and to elect one elector.
5. Acts of 1812, Chapter 5, divided the state into eight electoral districts, with Sullivan, Carter, Greene, Washington and Hawkins counties forming the first district and elected one elector.
6. Acts of 1812, Chapter 27, divided Tennessee into six congressional districts, with the first congressional district comprising the counties of Hawkins, Sullivan, Carter, Washington and Greene.
7. Acts of 1812, Chapter 57, set the membership of the state legislature at twenty in the state senate and forty in the state house of representatives.  Greene County was to elect one senator and one representative with the polls to be compared at the courthouse in Greeneville.
8. Acts of 1815, Chapter 107, provided that beginning with the election to be held on the first Thursday and Friday of August, 1817, Greene County was to have a second polling place, at the house of Colonel John Newman, in addition to the polling place at the courthouse.
9. Acts of 1817, Chapter 180, established a separate poll in Greene County at the house of Michael Myers, in addition to those already in existence.
10. Public Acts of 1819, Chapter 5, Section 7, removed the precinct election at the house of Michael Myers to the house of George Rinker.  This act also repealed Acts of 1817, Chapter 180.
11. Public Acts of 1819, Chapter 69, apportioned the representation of the state.  The counties of Greene and Jefferson composed one election district and elected one senator.  In addition, Greene County elected one representative.
12. Public Acts of 1822, Chapter 1, divided Tennessee into nine congressional districts, with Carter, Washington, Sullivan, Hawkins and Greene forming the first congressional district.
13. Public Acts of 1823, Chapter 47, provided for the election of electors of president and vice president of the United States by dividing the state into eleven electoral districts.  The first district was composed of the counties of Greene, Carter, Sullivan, Hawkins and Washington.
14. Public Acts of 1824, Chapter 1, provided for the election of electors of president and vice president of the United States by dividing the state into eleven electoral districts.  The first district was composed of the counties of Greene, Carter, Sullivan, Hawkins and Washington.
15. Public Acts of 1826, Chapter 3, apportioned the representation in the general assembly of  the state.  The counties of Greene, Washington, Cocke and Sevier composed one election district and elected one senator.  In addition, Greene County elected one representative.
16. Private Acts of 1827, Chapter 196, established an additional voting precinct in the town of Rhea, at the house of John Mathias in Greene County.
17. Public Acts of 1827, Chapter 17, divided the state into eleven electoral district for the purpose of electing electors of president and vice president of the United States.  The first electoral district was composed on the counties of Greene, Carter, Sullivan, Hawkins and Washington and elected one elector.
18. Private Acts of 1831, Chapter 57, established a precinct election at the house of Alexander English in Greene County.
19. Private Acts of 1831, Chapter 152, Section 3, authorized the sheriff of Greene County to open and hold an election at the house of Jacob Broyles on Horse Creek in Greene County to elect a governor, members of the general assembly, member to Congress and electors to elect a president and vice president.
20. Public Acts of 1832, Chapter 4, divided the state into districts for the election of representatives to the Congress of the United States.  The counties of Carter, Greene, Washington, Cocke and Jefferson composed the first congressional district.
21. Public Acts of 1832, Chapter 9, prescribed the mode of choosing electors to vote for president and vice president of the United States and divided the state into fifteen electoral districts.  The counties of Carter, Washington, Greene and Jefferson composed the first electoral district.
22. Public Acts of 1833, Chapter 71, divided the state into representative and senatorial districts.  The counties of Greene, Carter and Washington composed one election district and elected one senator.  In addition, the counties of Greene, Knox, Monroe and McMinn elected and returned one representative each.
23. Public Acts of 1833, Chapter 76, provided for the calling of a convention for the purpose of revising and amending the state constitution.  Sixty members were elected to the convention by districts laid off in the state.  Greene County composed one district and elected one delegate to the convention.  The returning officers of Greene County met at Sevierville to compare votes.
24. Private Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 114, authorized the Greene County Court to alter the lines of the magisterial districts.  This act was a forerunner to the current law in this state, which has again transferred the power to determine the number and boundaries of magisterial districts back to the local governing body.
25. Public Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 39, prescribed the mode of choosing electors to vote for president and vice president of the United States.  The counties of Greene, Carter, Washington and Jefferson composed the first district.
26. Acts of 1842, Second Session, Chapter 1, provided that the counties of Greene and Hawkins composed the second senatorial district and jointly elected one state senator with the polls were compared at the home of James Guthrie in Greene County.  Greene County elected one member to the state house of representatives.  This act was amended by Acts of 1847-48, Chapter 65, to provide that the polls would be compared at Dr. Alexander Williams' mill, on Lick Creek in Greene County.
27. Acts of 1842, Second Session, Chapter 7, placed Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington, Hawkins, Greene and Cocke counties in the first congressional district of Tennessee.
28. Acts of 1851-52, Chapter 196, divided the state into congressional districts.  The first congressional district was composed of the counties of Greene, Johnson, Carter, Sullivan, Washington, Hawkins, Cocke, Jefferson, Hancock and Sevier.
29. Acts of 1851-52, Chapter 197, divided the state into representative and senatorial districts.  The counties of Greene, Hawkins, Hancock and Jefferson elected one representative, the polls of which were compared at Rogersville.  The counties of Greene, Cocke, Sevier and Blount composed one senatorial district and compared the polls at Rogersville as well.
30. Public Acts of 1871, Chapter 146, divided the state into representative and senatorial districts.  Greene County elected one representative and was placed in the first senatorial district along with Johnson, Carter and Washington.
31. Public Acts of 1873, Chapter 27, divided the state into congressional districts.  Greene County was placed in the first congressional district.
32. Public Acts of 1881, Extra Session, Chapter 6, divided the state into senatorial and representative districts.  Greene County elected one representative and was placed in the second senatorial district along with Hawkins and Hancock counties.
33. Public Acts of 1882, Second Session, Chapter 27, divided the state into congressional districts.  Greene County was placed in the first congressional district.
34. Public Acts of 1891, Chapter 131, divided the state into congressional district.  Greene County was placed in the first congressional district.
35. Acts of 1891, Extra Session, Chapter 10, divided the state into senatorial and representative districts.  Greene County elected one representative and was placed in the first senatorial district along with Carter, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties.
36. Public Acts of 1901, Chapter 109, divided the state into congressional districts.  Greene County was placed in the first congressional district.
37. Public Acts of 1901, Chapter 122, apportioned the state into senatorial and representative districts, with Johnson, Carter, Unicoi, Washington and Greene counties to elect one state senator.  One representative was to be elected from Greene County, and one more representative was to be elected jointly by the counties of Greene, Washington and Unicoi.  This was amended by Acts of 1905, Chapter 463, to provide that Greene and Sullivan counties were to form the second senatorial district and in addition to the one representative from Greene County, one representative was to be elected jointly from Sullivan and Greene counties.
38. Public Acts of 1925, Chapter 96, provided for the holding of an election in Greene County to fill the offices of circuit judge and attorney general of the twentieth judicial circuit.
39. Private Acts of 1941, Chapter 177, set the compensation for election officer in general elections at $2.00 per day.
40. Private Acts of 1949, Chapter 252, raised the per diem of election officers to $4.00 for elections held "under the auspices of the state."
41. Private Acts of 1963, Chapter 6, attempted to repeal the Private Acts of 1949, Chapter 252, and raise the per diem of election officers to $7.00, but this act did not gain local ratification and never became an effective law.