Current:Home > StocksTennessee election officials asking more than 14,000 voters to prove citizenship -Nova Finance Academy
Tennessee election officials asking more than 14,000 voters to prove citizenship
TrendPulse View
Date:2025-04-10 22:39:27
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s top election office has sent letters to more than 14,000 registered voters asking them to prove their citizenship, a move that alarmed voting rights advocates as possible intimidation.
The letters, dated June 13, warned that it is illegal in Tennessee for noncitizens to vote and provided instructions on how to update voter information. The list was developed after comparing voter rolls with data from the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security, said Doug Kufner, spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office, in a statement Tuesday.
Kufner described the data from the state’s homeland security department as a “snapshot” of a person’s first interaction with that agency. Some may not have been U.S. citizens when they obtained a driver’s license or ID card but have since been naturalized and “likely did not update their records,” he said.
“Accurate voter rolls are a vital component to ensuring election integrity, and Tennessee law makes it clear that only eligible voters are allowed to participate in Tennessee elections,” Kufner said.
The letter does not, however, reveal what would happen to those who do not update their records — including whether people who fail to respond will be purged from the voter rolls. Kufner did not immediately respond to an email seeking clarity on if voters were at risk of being removed.
Instead, the letter contains warnings that illegal voting is a felony and carries penalties of up to two years in prison.
Voting rights advocates began raising the alarm after photos of the letter started circulating on social media. Democrats have long criticized the Secretary of State’s office for its stances on voting issues in the Republican-dominant state.
“The fact legal citizens of the United States and residents of Tennessee are being accused of not being eligible to vote is an affront to democracy,” said state Rep. Jason Powell, a Democrat from Nashville, in a statement. “These fine Tennesseans are being burdened with re-proving their own voter eligibility and threatened with imprisonment in a scare tactic reminiscent of Jim Crow laws.”
Powel and fellow Democratic Rep. John Ray Clemmons on Tuesday urged Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to investigate the issue.
Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson, a Democrat from Knoxville, said she was informed that one of the letter recipients included a “respected scientist in Oak Ridge” who had become a citizen and registered to vote in 2022.
“Maybe the state should verify citizenship with the federal government before sending threatening/intimidating letters to new citizens,” Johnson posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Other leaders encouraged those who received a letter to reach out to the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee for possible legal resources.
The effort bears some resemblance to the rollout of a sweeping Texas voting law passed in 2021, in which thousands of Texans — including some U.S. citizens — received letters saying they have been flagged as potential noncitizens who could be kicked off voting rolls.
Texas officials had just settled a lawsuit in 2019 after a prior search for ineligible voters flagged nearly 100,000 registered voters but wrongly captured naturalized citizens. A federal judge who halted the search the month after it began noted that only about 80 people to that point had been identified as potentially ineligible to vote.
veryGood! (8274)
Related
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- 3 children and 2 adults die after school bus collides with semi in Illinois, authorities say
- Airbnb is banning the use of indoor security cameras in the platform’s listings worldwide
- NAACP urges student-athletes to reconsider Florida colleges after state eliminates DEI programs
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- 'Madness': Trader Joe's mini tote bags reselling for up to $500 amid social media craze
- TEA Business College: A leader in financial professional education
- What is the most Oscars won by a single movie?
- Average rate on 30
- Housing Secretary Fudge resigning. Biden hails her dedication to boosting supply of affordable homes
Ranking
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Blue dragons in Texas? Creatures wash up on Texas beaches, officials warn not to touch
- 1980 cold case murder victim identified as Marine who served in Vietnam after investigation takes twists and turns
- Biden proposes tax increase on fuel for private jets, casting it as making wealthy pay their share
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Reddit looking to raise almost $750 million in initial public offering
- Save Our Signal! Politicians close in on votes needed to keep AM radio in every car
- Asked to clear up abortion bans, GOP leaders blame doctors and misinformation for the confusion
Recommendation
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
Kate Middleton and Prince William Spotted Leaving Windsor Castle Amid Photo Controversy
How one dog and her new owner brought kindness into the lives of many
Kirk Cousins leaves Vikings to join Falcons on four-year contract
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
Man arrested in California after Massachusetts shooting deaths of woman and her 11-year-old daughter
Donald Trump wants New York hush money trial delayed until Supreme Court rules on immunity claims
When is 2024 March Madness men's basketball tournament? Dates, times, odds and more