Voter signup groups say Tennessee penalties change landscape
Posted May 3, 2019 07:24:39 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NASHVILLE — Voter registration groups and civil rights advocates say the penalties created by a new Tennessee law could force them to rethink efforts to persuade minorities and college students to become civically engaged.
The new law is likely the first nationally to fine groups for too many incomplete registration forms. It includes misdemeanour charges for other intentional infractions of new rules.
A federal lawsuit targeting Tennessee after the bill’s signing said it could force four registration groups to reduce or eliminate those services in the state.
Republican Secretary of State Tre Hargett argued that tacking on penalties would be crucial for election security.
Terri Freeman is the executive director of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. She says the museum will keep signing up voters. She said many people chronicled in the museum died for that right.
Jonathan Mattise, The Associated Press
