Empowering local communities across Tennessee

We Decide Tennessee is a statewide coalition of community organizations and local elected officials fighting against state interference in local decision-making

what is state interference?

  • Does your community need affordable housing and broadband? Access to paid sick leave? Greater investments in public schools?

  • Unfortunately, state law currently hinders your hometown’s ability to make its own decisions on these important issues, and more.

  • State interference – or state preemption – laws tie the hands of local governments and prevent local decision-making on a range of issues that are important to our communities. And corporate special interest groups are leading the charge.

No matter where we call home–from Memphis to Johnson City– it takes all of us joining together to win the fight for local democracy.

We Decide Tennessee inspires local communities like yours to take back their freedom to determine their own futures.

Now’s the time to take action

Our strategies

  • Engage local elected officials

  • Educate & empower communities

  • Advocate at the state and local levels

  • Build solidarity across the state

  • “People in my city are facing evictions, my family was almost kicked out as the courts opened in Bedford County, and we were out of work due to COVID twice. My city or county should have been able to slow down eviction cases and have more say in how the CARES act money was distributed to rural areas for rent relief and to pay landlords for those that could not due to COVID, but can’t because of state interference. “

    – Cara Grimes, Shelbyville Renter

latest action

Join us today

NEW REPORT: Big corporations are tying the hands of local lawmakers through state interference and it’s happening at an alarming rate in #Tennessee. Our 2023 TN State Interference Report explores how restrictions on local decision-making impact
Tennessee has been all over the news lately for interfering in local democracy: slashing local government, expelling state lawmakers, and attacking teachers and students. Whether it is affordable housing, workplace safety, changing fees to developers
Good News: SB513 deferred to 2024 calendar! The so-called “Tennessee Landowner Bill of Rights” interferes heavily in the zoning, approval, and permitting process in ways that creates enormous uncertainty and risk for local governments s
GOOD NEWS: SB166 will give local governments the option to set paid leave standards for government contractors and businesses in their community! SB166 will be in Senate State & Local Government Committee next Tuesday!