On May 28, the Tennessee House passed SB 547, which provides that two new members should be added to the State Election Commission. The purpose of this bill is to give the Republicans a majority on that body. Although the law already says that the party with a majority in the State House should have a majority on the Commission, implementing this provision turned out to be impossible, without enlarging the Commission.

The Republicans got a majority in the State House in the 2008 election, for the first time in history. There had been a tie in the past, but never a Republican majority.

The bill is still not fully through the legislature, since it needs to go to a conference committee.