Nashville, TN – The Department of Safety and Homeland Security will open 19 of its state driver service centers on Saturday, November 5th to issue photo IDs to voters at no charge. The department will also convert non-photo driver licenses into photo driver licenses for voters at no charge. This extra day of service will continue on the first Saturday of each month through March 2012.
Driver service centers will be open on the first Saturday of the month in 15 counties across the state. The centers will operate during normal business hours, from 8:30am – 5:00pm for voter photo IDs only. No other business will be conducted in the centers on Saturdays.
Under a new state law, starting in 2012 voters will have to show a state or federal issued photo ID to cast a ballot at the polls in Tennessee. As of October 30, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security had issued 3,071 photo IDs for voting purposes. (This includes original photo IDs and non-photo driver license conversions.)
“We are committed to doing what we can to make these IDs accessible to voters who need them and that includes expanding our hours of service. We are altering employees’ schedules in order to operate on Saturdays in some locations, at no additional expense to taxpayers,” Commissioner Bill Gibbons said.
Driver service centers will be open on the first Saturday of the month in the following counties: Shelby (East Shelby Drive and Summer Avenue), Davidson (Centennial Boulevard. and Hart Lane), Hamilton (both locations), Knox (both locations), Sullivan, Sumner, Rutherford, Washington, Williamson, Montgomery, Blount, Bradley, Putnam, Greene, and Carter.
The centers were chosen based on the counties with the highest number of registered voters who hold non-photo driver licenses.
To minimize the possibility of wait times during Saturday hours, groups or organizations planning to make a group visit to a driver service center should schedule an appointment by calling Linda Cone at 731.225.0924 or Wanda Adams at 615.251.5309.
About The Tennessee Department of Safety
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s (www.TN.Gov/safety) mission is to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.
