TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jul 18, 2024

Tennessee elections officials now say that any registered voter who received a letter asking them to prove their citizenship to stay on the voting rolls will not be removed even if they do not respond to the request. The Associated Press reports that the state clarified its position in a follow-up letter to all those did not respond to the first correspondence, which was sent to more than 14,000 registered voters. According to state election officials, nearly 3,200 of those have provided proof of citizenship, while more than 300 requested to be removed from the rolls. The ACLU informed the state late last month of plans to sue if the state did not change its plans. In related news, the Nashville Banner reports in its newsletter that the Secretary of State’s office has retained a private law firm to assist with the matter. In responding to the ACLU, the firm says the original letter was an “attempt to fulfill … obligations under Tennessee law, to avoid burdening voters and to ensure a fair and efficient election.”