Elections - Historical Notes

The following is a listing of acts for Perry County which affected the elective process, but which have been superseded or repealed.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

1. Acts of 1819, Chapter 69, provided that of the twenty State Senators, the Counties of Stewart, Perry, and Humphreys would elect one jointly and out of the forty Representatives in the General Assembly, Humphreys and Perry Counties would elect one jointly. The polls would be counted in each case at Reynoldsburgh in Humphreys County.
2. Acts of 1822, Chapter 1, divided Tennessee into eight United States Congressional Districts. The 8th U.S. District was made up of the Counties of Wayne, Hardin, Perry, Lawrence, Henry, Carroll, Henderson, Madison and Shelby.
3. Acts of 1823, Chapter 47, organized the State into eleven Presidential Electoral Districts. The Eleventh District comprised the Counties of Wayne, Hardin, Perry, and all the counties west of the Tennessee River. The votes would be counted and certified at Jackson, in Madison County.
4. Acts of 1824, Chapter 1, also set up Presidential Electoral Districts in Tennessee with practically no changes being made in the Act above.
5. Acts of 1826, Chapter 3, apportioned the State for the General Assembly based on population figures furnished by counties. Stewart, Humphreys, Perry, and Henderson Counties would join together to elect one of the 20 State Senators, and the first three counties named would jointly elect one of the 40 Representatives.
6. Acts of 1827, Chapter 17, again set up eleven Presidential Electoral Districts in Tennessee. The 10th District consisted of the Counties of Robertson, Montgomery, Dickson, Stewart, Humphreys, and Perry.
7. Acts of 1832, Chapter 4, divided Tennessee into thirteen U.S. Congressional Districts and the 13th District had in it the Counties of Perry, Henderson, McNairy, Hardeman, Fayette, Shelby, and Tipton.
8. Acts of 1832, Chapter 9, established fifteen Presidential Electoral Districts in the State. Maury, Hickman, Wayne, and Perry Counties composed the 12th District.
9. Acts of 1833, Chapter 71, was the next apportionment of the General Assembly. One of the twenty State Senators would be elected jointly by Stewart, Humphreys, Perry, and Henderson Counties, counting the votes at Reynoldsburgh in Humphreys County. Stewart, Humphreys, and Perry Counties would share one of the forty State Representatives.
10. Acts of 1833, Chapter 76, provided for the election of the sixty delegates to the Constitutional Convention which would be convened in Nashville on the third Monday in May after being elected on the first Thursday and Friday in March. Perry, Hardin, and McNairy Counties would join together to elect two delegates.
11. Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 39, set up fifteen Presidential Electoral Districts in the State with Maury, Hickman, Perry, and Wayne Counties constituting the 12th Electoral District.
12. Acts of 1839-40, Chapter 79, made each one of the United States Congressional Districts in the State into a Presidential Electoral District for the Presidential elections.
13. Acts of 1842, Chapter 1, reapportioned Tennessee for the General Assembly. Perry, Henderson, and McNairy Counties made up the 24th Senatorial District and would elect one of the 25 State Senators. Perry County was awarded one State Representative.
14. Acts of 1842, Chapter 7, established eleven U.S. Congressional Districts assigning the Counties of Perry, Henderson, Madison, Carroll, Gibson, Weakley, and Obion to the 11th District.
15. Acts of 1851-52, Chapter 196, reduced the number of U.S. Congressional Districts in Tennessee to ten assigning the Counties of Giles, Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, McNairy, Perry, Decatur, Benton, Humphreys, Hickman, and Lewis to the 7th District.
16. Acts of 1851-52, Chapter 197, reorganized the General Assembly allotting one of the 50 Representatives to Perry and Decatur Counties jointly, and letting Benton, Humphreys, Perry, Decatur, and Henderson Counties compose one Senatorial District. Polls would be counted at the mouth of Morgan's Creek.
17. Acts of 1865, Chapter 34, was the first post Civil War Act to apportion the State. Eight U.S. Congressional Districts were organized with Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, Decatur, Perry, Lewis, Maury, Hickman, Humphreys, Dickson, Montgomery, and Stewart making up the 6th District.
18. Acts of 1871, Chapter 146, set up the Senatorial and Representative Districts in the General Assembly. The 16th State Senatorial District had in it the Counties of Hickman, Perry, Humphreys, Dickson, Cheatham, and Houston. Hickman, Perry, and Lewis Counties would jointly elect one Representative.
19. Act of 1872, Chapter 7, separated the State into nine U.S. Congressional Districts. The Seventh District contained the counties of Montgomery, Houston, Stewart, Humphreys, Dickson, Cheatham, and Houston. Hickman, Perry, and Lewis, would jointly elect one Representative.
20. Acts of 1873, Chapter 27, added one U.S. Congressional District to the State making ten. The 8th District had in it the Counties of Henry, Benton, Carroll, Perry, Decatur, Hardin, McNairy, Henderson, and Madison.
21. Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 5, fixed the number of State Senators at 33 and the number of Representatives at 99 both to be on a permanent basis.
22. Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 6, reapportioned the General Assembly to accommodate the enlarged membership. Lewis, Perry, and Decatur Counties would share one Representative, and Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, and Perry Counties made up the 23rd State Senatorial District.
23. Acts of 1882, Chapter 27, reorganized the ten U.S. Congressional Districts according to the 1880 Census. The 8th District was given the Counties of Henry, Benton, Perry, Decatur, Hardin, McNairy, Henderson, Madison, and Carroll.
24. Acts of 1891 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 10, set up the General Assembly according to the 1890 Census. Humphreys, Perry, and Wayne Counties would elect one Representative between them and Maury, Perry, and Lewis Counties composed the 19th State Senatorial District which would jointly elect one Senator.
25. Acts of 1901, Chapter 109, divided the State into ten U.S. Congressional Districts allocating the Counties of Henry, Benton, Perry, Carroll, Decatur, Henderson, Chester, Madison, Hardin, and McNairy to the 8th U.S. Congressional District.
26. Acts of 1901, Chapter 122, was the last apportionment of the General Assembly until some sixty years had passed. The 20th State Senatorial District contained Maury, Perry, and Lewis Counties, and the Counties of Humphreys and Perry would jointly elect one Representative.
27. Private Acts of 1949, Chapter 194, fixed the compensation of the officials holding elections, both general, primary, and special, in Perry County, at $2.00 per day.