On June 22, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed HB1278 and SB1009, identical bills that extend the petition deadline for certain independent candidates. The bill takes effect immediately and applies to 2020 and all future elections. The old non-presidential independent deadline was in April. The new deadline is early August.

The bill only applies to incumbent members of the legislature who want to run for re-election but who are barred from a party primary by that party’s executive committee. The motivation for the bill is that earlier this year, the Democratic Party barred Representative John DeBerry, Jr., from running in the August 6 Democratic primary. Because of the new law, DeBerry can run for re-election as an independent, and he is doing that.

The Tennessee non-presidential petition deadline for all other individuals remains in April. That deadline was already legally shaky, and now it is very shaky.