OK, people, we might be a little behind Georgia, Florida and Alabama, but not far.
Our right to vote is supposed to be protected.
But not in Tennessee.
Tennessee's record on voter suppression is appalling. We are last in voter participation and it is no wonder why.
Our Republican-dominated legislature prefers it that way. I'm sure this isn't news to lots of folks though. But here are some of the facts.
Cases of voter fraud
In the last election only seven cases of voter fraud were found, most of these were elderly folks who had forgotten they'd voted already. So, seriously, the argument that the system is fraught with fraud is ridiculous.
And if they were concerned about election security or hacking, we'd be getting paper receipts – only 14 counties in Tennessee have these.
Purging voters
Last year 14,000 + folks were purged from the rolls in Rutherford County. Sure some folks moved, died or were convicted of a crime but the vast majority – more than 10,000 were purged for non-participation. This is just wrong.
If you didn't vote in the last two elections, you should not have to register again to be able to vote in the next one. There is no good reason for this – it's just a method of voter suppression.
Oh, and by the way, another purge is coming up next month.
Are you on that list?
Difficulties registering to vote
Last year there were record numbers of people registered to vote in Tennessee. A lot of those registrations were rejected because they neglected to check a salutation – you know that little box that says are you Ms, Mrs, or Mr. These folks thought they'd registered, turned up to vote and couldn't.
Any little thing wrong with your registration form will get you kicked off the rolls.
A registration deadline of 30 days before the election is silly in this day and age of computers and data storage that no longer consists of large filing cabinets. Forty-five other states are better than this many have same day registration, mail in voting and have made efforts to make voting fair and easy.
Provisional ballots aren't counted
So, say, you showed up and your name wasn't on the rolls and you had to go with a provisional ballot. All the show about securing your ballot in a bag and locking it up might be impressive.
But chances are those votes are never counted. This is unacceptable.
What about students?
Students have a tough time getting to vote. To get an absentee ballot, you have to register in person – meaning you show an election official your ID when they register.
If you signed up at your high school and never got a chance to vote before heading off to college, your absentee ballot will never show up. You'll have to travel home to vote.
And your student ID with the picture on it? Not good enough to use to vote, though your NRA member card is.
Tennessee seems to prefer that students not exercise their rights.
Outlawing voter registration drives
In the legislature right now is a bill - HB 1079 sponsored by Tim Rudd- imposing penalties up to $10,000 in fines for anyone who intends to register more than 100 voters without getting certified to do so.
So much for organizations doing voter registration drives.
Now mind you, there doesn't seem to be a provision for doing the training required or whether there is cost involved.
You can bet it won't be easy.
But you can be sure that many of your legislators would prefer you let them restrict your right to vote. They must be afraid most folks wouldn't vote for them.
