Elections - Historical Notes

Districts - Reapportionment

The acts listed below have affected the civil districts in Hardin County, but are no longer operative regarding elections.

1. Public Acts of 1899, Chapter 252, combined several of the existing seventeen Civil Districts in Hardin County and created eight Civil Districts.
2. Acts of 1909, Chapter 223, amended Public Acts of 1899, Chapter 252, above, by redefining the boundaries of the Civil Districts in Hardin County and creating the Ninth and the Tenth Civil Districts.
3. Private Acts of 1915, Chapter 431, changed the lines between the First, Second, and Third Civil Districts of Hardin County so that territory was transferred from the First and Second Districts to the Third District.
4. Private Acts of 1915, Chapter 644, changed the line between the Eighth and Ninth Civil District.
5. Private Acts of 1923, Chapter 696, created the Eleventh Civil District in Hardin County from parts of the Tenth Civil District.

Elections

The following is a listing of acts for Hardin County which affected the elective process, but which have been superseded or repealed.  They are listed here for historical and reference purposes.

1. Public Acts of 1819, Chapter 69, apportioned Tennessee for representation in the General Assembly.  Twenty Senatorial Districts were established.  The Nineteenth Senatorial District contained the Counties of Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne, and Hardin.  Of the forty Representatives, Wayne and Hardin Counties would elect one jointly and polls would be counted at the Wayne County courthouse.
2. Private Acts of 1820, Chapter 123, established two election precincts in Hardin County, one at Jesse Tanner's house on the Reynoldsburgh Road, and the other at the house of Robert Shannon on Turnbow's Creek.  The Sheriff would open and hold elections under the same rules and regulations prevailing as in other general elections.  All polls would be counted on the Saturday after the election.
3. Public Acts of 1821, Chapter 46, stated that Wayne, Hardin, and Shelby counties would elect one Representative jointly, and Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, Shelby, and Madison Counties composed a Senatorial District.  Polls would be confirmed on the second Monday after the election at the courthouse in Hardin County.
4. Public Acts of 1822, Chapter 1, divided Tennessee into eight U. S. Congressional Districts.  The Eighth District consisted of the Counties of Wayne, Perry, Hardin, Lawrence, Henry, Carroll, Henderson, Madison, Shelby, and such other counties as might be established in the western portion of the State.
5. Public Acts of 1823, Chapter 47, established eleven Electoral Districts for the election of the President and Vice President of the United States.  The Eleventh Electoral District was composed of the Counties of Wayne, Hardin, and Perry, and all the counties west of the Tennessee River.
6. Public Acts of 1824, Chapter 1, also divided the State into eleven Electoral Districts.  Hardin County remained in the Eleventh District.
7. Public Acts of 1826, Chapter 3, reapportioned the State for the General Assembly which still had twenty Senators and forty Representatives.  Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, and McNairy Counties would elect one Senator, and Lawrence, Wayne, and Hardin Counties would elect jointly one Representative.
8. Private Acts of 1826, Chapter 36, declared it lawful for all the elections for field officers in Dickson, Jackson, Campbell, Claiborne, Stewart, Marion, Humphreys, and Hardin Counties to be held at the different places designated by the county courts of the respective counties, for the election of Governor, members of Congress, and members of the General Assembly.
9. Public Acts of 1827, Chapter 17, divided Tennessee into eleven Electoral Districts for the Presidential elections.  The Eighth District was made up of the Counties of Lincoln, Giles, Lawrence, Hardin, and Wayne.
10. Public Acts of 1832, Chapter 4, established thirteen U. S. Congressional Districts.  Lincoln, Giles, Lawrence, Wayne, and Hardin Counties composed the Tenth District.  The Sheriffs of the respective counties would hold the election at the regular precincts.
11. Public Acts of 1832, Chapter 9, provided for the election of fifteen Presidential Electors, one from each of fifteen Districts.  The fourteenth District contained the Counties of Hardeman, Hardin, Henderson, McNairy, Madison, Fayette, and Shelby.
12. Public Acts of 1833, Chapter 71, reapportioned the State for Representation in the General Assembly.  The number of Senators would be twenty and the number of Representatives would be fourteen.  Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, and McNairy Counties would elect one Senator with the polls being compared at Waynesboro, and Hardin and Henderson Counties would share one Representative with the polls being counted at Kendall's store in Hardin County.
13. Public Acts of 1833, Chapter 76, provided for the election of delegates to a Constitutional Convention to revise, amend, or alter the Constitution, or form a new one.  The sixty elected delegates would meet in Nashville on the third Monday in May, 1834.  Perry, Hardin, and McNairy Counties would elect jointly two delegates.
14. Public Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 39, divided Tennessee into fifteen Presidential Elector Districts.  The fourteenth District consisted of the Counties of Hardeman, Hardin, Henderson, McNairy, Madison, Fayette, and Shelby.
15. Acts of 1837-38, Chapter 64, Section 1, made it the duty of the Sheriff to open and hold an election in Savannah on the first Thursday in January of each year, or within 20 days thereafter, to elect seven qualified Aldermen for that city who would then select one of their number as the Mayor.  The County Court was authorized to lay off the bounds of the Town of Savannah as they might consider most expedient at the first Court in January each year.
16. Acts of 1839-40, Chapter 79, declared that fifteen Electors for the election of the President and Vice President would be chosen.  Each Congressional District would elect one Elector and two Electors would be selected at-large.
17. Acts of 1842 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 1, apportioned Tennessee for representation in the General Assembly and created twenty-five Senatorial Districts and fifty Representative Districts.  Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne, and Hardin Counties were in the 20th Senatorial District, and would elect one Senator.  Hardin County would elect one Representative alone.
18. Acts of 1842 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 7, created eleven U.S. Congressional Districts in Tennessee.  The Sixth District consisted of  the Counties of Hickman, Maury, Giles, Lawrence, Wayne, and Hardin.
19. Acts of 1851-52, Chapter 196, formed ten U.S. Congressional Districts in the State.  The Seventh District was composed of the Counties of Hardin, Giles, Lawrence, Wayne, McNairy, Perry, Decatur, Benton, Humphreys, Hickman, and Lewis.
20. Acts of 1851-52, Chapter 197, apportioned the State for representation in the General Assembly.  Hardin, Hardeman, and McNairy Counties would compose a Senatorial District and elect one Senator.  Hardin County alone would elect one Representative.
21. Public Acts of 1865, Chapter 34, was the first post Civil War Act apportioning Tennessee. Eight U.S. Congressional Districts were formed.  The Sixth District contained the Counties of Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, Decatur, Perry, Lewis, Maury, Hickman, Humphreys, Dickson, Montgomery, and Stewart.
22. Public Acts of 1869-70, Chapter 105, authorized a referendum to be held on the proposed calling of a Constitutional Convention which would amend, revise, or form a new Constitution for the State.  The ballots would be simply a "For" or "Against" proposition.  There would be seventy-five delegates to the convention and each county would have the same number of delegates as it had Senators and Representatives in the General Assembly.  The delegates elected would convene in Nashville on the second Monday in January, 1870.
23. Public Acts of 1871, Chapter 146, divided Tennessee for representation in the General Assembly.  Hardin and Decatur Counties would elect one of the fifty Representatives jointly.  The Eighteenth Senatorial District contained Hardin, Decatur, Benton, McNairy, and Henderson Counties.
24. Acts of 1872 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 7, formed nine U.S. Congressional Districts in Tennessee.  The Seventh District was composed of the Counties of Montgomery, Houston, Stewart, Humphreys, Benton, Henry, Carroll, Henderson, Decatur, Perry, Hardin, and McNairy.
25. Public Acts of 1873, Chapter 27, reorganized the U.S. Congressional Districts in the State.  Ten Districts were formed and the Eighth District contained the Counties of Henry, Benton, Carroll, Perry, Decatur, Hardin, McNairy, Henderson, and Madison.
26. Public Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 5, fixed the number of Senators in the General Assembly at thirty-three, and the number of Representatives at ninety-nine.
27. Public Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 6, apportioned the State into districts.  The twenty-third Senatorial District in the State was made up of the Counties of Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, and Perry. Hardin County alone would elect one Representative.
28. Public Acts of 1882 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 27, separated the State into ten U.S. Congressional Districts.  The Eighth District contained Henry, Benton, Hardin, Perry, Decatur, McNairy, Henderson, Madison, and Carroll Counties.
29. Acts of 1891 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 10, reapportioned the State for the General Assembly.  The twenty-fourth State Senatorial District contained the Counties of Benton, Humphreys, Decatur, and Hardin.  Hardin County alone would elect one Representative.
30. Acts of 1901, Chapter 109, formed ten U.S. Congressional Districts, allocating Henry, Benton, Perry, Carroll, Decatur, Henderson, Chester, Madison, McNairy, and Hardin Counties to the Eighth District.
31. Acts of 1901, Chapter 122, divided the State for representation in the General Assembly and was the last reapportionment for more than sixty years.  Hardin County would elect one Representative and was assigned to the twenty-sixth Senatorial District with Hardeman, McNairy, Decatur, and Benton Counties.
32. Private Acts of 1913, Chapter 284, stated that registration of a voter would not be required in Hardin County as a prerequisite to voting in any federal, state, county, municipal, or district election.
33. Private Acts of 1975, Chapter 149, amended T.C.A. Section 2-1219, now Section 2-12-109, by providing that the Election Commission of Hardin County shall not make any expenditure in excess of the budget approved by the County Court.  The County Court was authorized to amend the budget to provide additional expenditures by the Election Commission when the need for such expenditures were reasonably unforeseen.