Want to check which congressional district you live in before you go vote? Be careful where you look.
Maps on most federal and state websites have not been updated with new congressional district boundaries, despite lawmakers voting to redraw the lines on May 7.
The old district maps technically remain in effect until new members of Congress take office in January. But not updating the maps to show Tennessee's newly drawn districts has caused confusion for voters researching which candidates will be on their ballot in the Nov. 3 midterms — for which early voting starts this week.
Congress.gov and House.gov show only Tennessee’s old congressional district boundaries, not the new districts voters will be in after the Nov. 3 election.
On the state
Capitol website, both the old and new congressional district lines are shown, with the new boundaries listed as “future Congress.”
The only accurate map to look up which district you’ll be voting in on Nov. 3 is on the Comptroller of the Treasury website, accessible through the Division of Elections.
Rutherford County resident Shelly McCormick has knocked doors for multiple candidates this year. She said many voters she’s spoken with were unaware they changed districts.
“They do not know,” McCormick told The Tennessean.
During the August primary, she said, she met voters who researched candidates based on the district maps posted on House.gov and were surprised when they went to the polls and found completely different candidates on their ballot.
“I was sitting at the polling place — 100 feet away — during the primary, and I remember one guy coming out and saying ‘I looked up what district I was in, and it told me the 4th.’ So he went and researched Victoria Broderick,” McCormick said. “Then he got in there, and the candidates were totally different.”
Eileen Brogan was in the 7th Congressional District until redistricting in May, when she was redrawn into the 5th District, where Republican former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher is facing Democrat Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder. She still receives emails from Congressman Matt Van Epps' office addressed to his constituents, and feels that will be confusing for voters who were drawn into a different district.
“If they’re not going to change it, they need to get the word out,” McCormick said.
Where to look up the congressional district you will vote in:
Find the district you will be voting in on the Division of Elections Website address search. Or visit the "find my legislator" tab on capitol.tn.gov and filter for “future Congress.”
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Looking up your TN congressional district? Beware some tools not updated
