As Tennessee votes for new license plate, a look at state history

You may not think about your license plates until it's time to get one. But the thin sheet of aluminum that's affixed to your car carries a lot of history unique to Tennessee that date back over 100 years.

Volunteer State vehicle license plates weren't always rectangles, and they weren't always made of metal.

In the early days, some plates were made of leather with aluminum numbers or porcelain and stamped steel with embossed numbers. These plates date back to 1915.

Tennessee plates from 1936 to 1976 featured the shape of the state, with the plate itself cut to the state's outline until 1956.

Tennessee, however, wasn't always producing its own plates.

In 1979, Texas won the contract to produce Tennessee's passenger plates, according to an index of U.S. plates.

But after four years of having plates produced elsewhere, Tennessee returned plate production to their own prison system. Through Tennessee Rehabilitative Initiative in Correction (TRICOR) all vehicle, motorcycle and truck license tags were manufactured in Nashville.

New York was officially the first state to require motor vehicles to register with a plate in 1901. These plates were fashioned by individuals, and usually with their initials instead of an alphanumeric code like we have today, according to ThoughtCo.

The first state-issued plate, aptly displaying only the number "1," was issued to Frederick Tudor in Massachusetts.

In Idaho, a potato was the first graphic image to appear on a license plate in 1928.

Now, of course, plates are issued by the state Departments of Motor Vehicles.

Tennessee has over 100 different types of license plates available to state residents. But, why so many?

Throughout history, license plates have been both functional and stylistic. Specialty plates can denote military affiliation, SEC sports teams, support for certain organizations or homages to Tennessee's landscape or heritage.

The famous Dolly Parton plate may come to mind as an oh-so-Tennessee example.

New options are currently in the works. The Tennessee DOT is producing new specialty plates for service dogs, "Wilson County The Place To Be" and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, among others.

Tennesseans can pitch plate ideas, which is how many of these new plates are even made.

The introduction of new license plates can be attributed to Tennessee state law. New license plate designs must be reissued at least every eight years.

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Recently, with the announcement of new standard plates coming in 2022, many Tennesseans have reacted to the redesign, asking why "In God We Trust" is included.

That option became available in 2017 when lawmakers tried to require every plate to have the phrase.

After concerns were raised about the constitutionality of the requirement, sponsors agreed to make the make the new design optional.

In 2017:Haslam signs bill creating 'In God We Trust' license plates

A white or blue design will replace the green rolling hills of current Volunteer State plates. That graphic was introduced by Gov. Phil Bredesen — but it was essentially unchanged by Gov. Bill Haslam when it underwent redesigns in 2011, 2016 and 2017.

Gov. Bill Lee's office is encouraging residents to vote on the four redesigns by Monday, Sept. 27. The new plates will be available in January of 2022.

The new tag is required to display the words "Tennessee" and "Volunteer State," as well as the website "TNvacation.com."

Molly Weisner is a digital producer for the USA Today network. Find her on Twitter @molly_weisner.

Daniella Medina is a digital producer for the USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter @danimedinanews.