Voting is now open for a new design of the Tennessee state license plate.
Tennessee plates are updated and redesigned every eight years, if funds are approved for it by the Tennessee General Assembly.
“As Tennessee celebrates 225 years of statehood, it’s a perfect time to redesign our license plate and feature the tri-star that represents each of our state’s unique grand divisions,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in a statement. “We welcome all Tennesseans to cast their vote and play a role in choosing this piece of our state’s history.”
State law requires each plate to carry the words “Tennessee,” “Volunteer State,” and “tnvacation.com.” State law also allows Tennesseans a plate option with the words “in god we trust.”
American Atheists, the Mississippi Humanist Association, and three nonreligious Mississippians sued state officials over license plates in June. New license plates issued there in 2019 carry the state’s new seal, which contains the words “in god we trust.”
Car owners in Mississippi can pay $32 for a license plate without the words “in god we trust.” The lawsuit by American Atheists says ”this amounts to a fine.”
Voting on Tennessee’s new license plate begins Monday (today) and ends on Monday, September 27th. The winning design will be announced this fall and available to the public in January 2022.
