Each month, NCSL’s Elections and Redistricting team interviews a local election official or legislative election leader to highlight the work officials and legislators are doing to improve election policy and administration in the U.S. To see other installments in this series, visit
Election Conversations.
No one who gets into the business of election administration starts out with that as a career goal, Tammy Smith says. “An opportunity arises, and they go down a different path than they envisioned for their life.”
Smith has served as the administrator of elections in Wilson County, Tenn., just east of Nashville, since 2022. Previously, she was the county’s assistant administrator, a position she began in 2011, and before that was an election commissioner in a nearby Tennessee county.
“I came to Wilson County as assistant administrator to put my kids in a different school system,” she says. “For 10 years in this office, we were the only county in the state with two administrators that were certified by the state. The other administrator retired in 2022, so I became the sole administrator.”
Smith recently spoke with NCSL about her nearly two decades of experience in election administration.
In what ways have you worked with the Tennessee Legislature?
I attend committee meetings and sometimes counties get together and act as liaisons with legislators to work with them on bills. The key is to develop relationships with the legislators and help them understand what we do. Sometimes people are afraid to sit down with them because they're on a different level than we are, but we're all trying to achieve the same goal.
We have an understanding of how a bill will impact us on the local level. Oftentimes, I find that just a simple change has a trickle-down effect on things that we do. We have to take the time and be proactive in meeting with them so that we can explain how it will impact us.
Legislators have been very open and appreciative to sit down with me, and we've had good conversations. I have a good relationship with my local representatives and senators and that really helps, but it does take time to cultivate those relationships.
What was a recent legislative change for your state and how did you adapt?
We had a bill that shortened the time frame for nursing home voting from 29 days to 27 days. Two fewer days impacts counties with several facilities to serve. We had to add teams and use more resources in order to get it done.
The Legislature now requires all counties to conduct optical scan audits. Our county has used optical scan equipment since 2016, but audits were new to a lot of counties So we had several meetings with counties that use the same type of machines and tabulators to discuss the required audits, so that was helpful.
What is something you wish legislators (or the public) knew?
I have spent numerous hours with individuals that have questions. As someone serving the public, I have an obligation to answer their questions, and I'm honored to do so. They don't see behind-the-scenes how much we put into making sure that it's perfect or near perfect and correct. We want them to have confidence in what we're doing. I explain that we are doing logic and accuracy testing, testing every piece of equipment and all processes to ensure that everything will work properly during the election. We are ensuring that if I press “John Doe” on the ballot-marking device that it tabulates correctly and reports accurately in the election management system, which reports the election results. Every ballot style and every piece of equipment is thoroughly tested.
At the end of the day, we're all still people, and in elections we aren't given any grace. We must be near perfect when it comes to conducting elections. We offer an Election Institute that is open to the public, legislators and advocacy groups that explains everything that we do to plan, prepare and conduct elections in Wilson County. It has been very successful and helps individuals better understand how much detail goes into the work that we do.
What is the best part of your job?
All the people, all the way around, whether it be co-workers, or poll officials or voters. I love the fact that I'm in a role that's extremely important. We're not just running elections, we're protecting our republic. We're protecting the very foundation of what makes us a great country. We are protecting that by making sure that we have honest and fair elections of the highest integrity. My purpose is to protect the integrity of every vote cast in Wilson County, and it's something that I enjoy immensely. I'm proud and honored to serve.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.