Elections - Historical Notes

The following is a listing of acts for Sevier County which affected the elective process, but which have been superseded or repealed.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 1796, Chapter 4, appointed electors for the President and Vice-President of the United States in every County of the State. Samuel McGahey, Joshua Gist and Alexander Montgomery were chosen to represent Sevier County.
2. Acts of 1798, Chapter 16, apportioned four Senators and eight Representatives to the Hamilton District of Tennessee. Sevier would have one Representative alone and share a State Senator with Blount County. The Sheriffs of Blount and Sevier Counties would meet at the home of Joseph Vance in Sevier County to compare the votes.
3. Acts of 1812 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 27, divided Tennessee into six U. S. Congressional Districts. The Second District numbered Jefferson, Grainger, Claiborne, Knox, Sevier, Blount and Cocke among its counties.
4. Acts of 1812 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 57, apportioned the State into 20 Senatorial Districts and 40 Representative Districts. Sevier County would elect one Representative alone and share a State Senator with Blount County.
5. Acts of 1819, Chapter 69, also allotted 20 Senators and 40 Representatives to counties. Sevier County still had one Representative for itself but shared a Senator with Cocke, Blount and Monroe Counties. The place for counting the votes for each district was also named in this Act.
6. Acts of 1822, Chapter 1, reorganized the State into eight U. S. Congressional Districts. Grainger, Claiborne, Cocke, Jefferson, Knox, Blount and Sevier Counties were all in the Second District.
7. Public Acts of 1826, Chapter 3, reapportioned the State but did not change the number of Senators and Representatives. Washington, Greene, Cocke and Sevier Counties made up one State Senatorial District whose votes would be counted at Greenville. Cocke and Sevier County would share a Representative, the vote to be compared at the house of Jacob Bird.
8. Public Acts of 1832, Chapter 4, divided Tennessee into 13 U. S. Congressional Districts. The Third District consisted of Anderson, Knox, Sevier, Blount and Monroe Counties.
9. Public Acts of 1832, Chapter 9, established electoral Districts for the election of the President and Vice President. There were 15 of these Districts of which Cocke, Sevier, Blount and Monroe Counties composed the Third.
10. Public Acts of 1833, Chapter 71, reapportioned the State. Sevier, Blount, Monroe and McMinn Counties made up the Fourth State Senatorial District and the polls would be compared at the house of A. Congers in Blount County. Blount and Sevier County would jointly elect one Representative, and the votes would be counted at the home of Robert McCaskie in Sevier County.
11. Acts of 1842 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 1, apportioned Tennessee for the General Assembly into 25 Senatorial District of which Cocke, Blount and Sevier Counties made up the Third. Sevier and Cocke Counties would elect one Representative jointly. All polls would be compared at Sevierville.
12. Acts of 1842 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 7, divided the State into eleven U. S. Congressional Districts. The Second District consisted of Jefferson, Grainger, Claiborne, Campbell, Anderson, Morgan, Sevier, Blount and Monroe Counties.
13. Acts of 1865, Chapter 34, was apparently the first apportionment of the State after the Civil War. There were eight U. S. Congressional Districts of which the First was made up of Johnson, Carter, Sullivan, Washington, Hawkins, Hancock, Greene, Cocke, Jefferson, Grainger and Sevier.
14. Acts of 1869-70, Chapter 25, provided that under the new Constitution, the General Assembly would consist of seventy-five representatives until the State reached one and one half million in population. One Representative each was given to Johnson, Carter, Campbell, Anderson, Union, Sevier, Macon and Hancock counties and the remainder allocated to various combinations, some populous counties having more than one Representative.
15. Acts of 1871, Chapter 146, immediately followed the Constitutional provisions incorporated into the act above by the reapportioning the State. Cocke and Sevier County would elect one Representative between them and with Jefferson and Blount counties added, they would constitute the Third of Twenty-Five Senatorial Districts.
16. Acts of 1872 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 7, divided Tennessee into nine U.S. Congressional Districts. The Second District was made up of Sevier, Knox, Jefferson, Anderson, Campbell, Scott, Morgan, Fentress, Cumberland, White, Putnam, Overton, Jackson, Smith, Macon and Clay Counties.
17. Acts of 1873, Chapter 27, reapportioned Tennessee into ten U.S. Congressional Districts using the recently compiled census figures. The Second District was assigned on this occasion the counties of Jefferson, Sevier, Blount, Monroe, Loudon, Roane, Knox, Anderson, Campbell, Scott, Morgan and Union.
18. Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 6, apportioned the General Assembly based on the 1880 Census figures. Sevier County would elect one Representative alone and be a part of the Third State Senatorial District with Cocke, Jefferson and Hamblen Counties.
19. Acts of 1882 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 27, also reapportioned the U.S. Congressional Districts according to the 1880 census. The counties in the Second U.S. Congressional District remained as they were named in the Acts of 1873, Chapter 27, except Monroe County was removed, leaving eleven counties.
20. Acts of 1891 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 10, reapportioned Tennessee for the General Assembly according to the 1880 census. Sevier, Knox, Jefferson and Cocke Counties were in the 5th State Senatorial District, and Sevier was given one Representative alone.
21. Acts of 1901, Chapter 109, established ten U.S. Congressional Districts in the State under the 1900 Census report. Sullivan, Johnson, Carter, Unicoi, Washington, Greene, Hawkins, Hancock, Claiborne, Grainger, Cocke and Sevier Counties composed the First U. S. Congressional District. 22. Acts of 1901, Chapter 122, again apportioned Tennessee according to the 1900 Federal Census figures. Sevier County retained its Representative and joined Cocke, Hamblen, Jefferson and Blount counties in the 4th State Senatorial District.
22. Private Acts of 1915, Chapter 303, stated that no registration of voters shall be had in Sevier County, and the registration of a voter shall not be a prerequisite to his right to vote in any National, State, County, City, Civil District or any other election to be held in said County. All conflicting laws were repealed.
23. Private Acts of 1947, Chapter 435, provided that all officers, Judges, Clerks and election officials holding all general, regular or primary elections in Sevier County will receive $2.00 per day as compensation for their services.
24. Private Acts of 1949, Chapter 148, set the compensation of all election officials, judges, clerks and officers holding a general or primary election in Sevier County at $5.00 per day for such services but would be paid for one day only.
25. Private Acts of 1955, Chapter 22, would have created an 18th Civil District from the 5th Civil District of Sevier County containing an area described by a metes and bounds description. The new District would be part of the 5th Educational District. Two Justices of the Peace and one Constable would be elected in the new District at the regular election in August 1956. This act was rejected by the Quarterly County Court and never became effective.