LWV of Tennessee

This article was originally published in Public News Service. 

The Volunteer State ranks poorly in the U.S. for its overall lack of voter participation. Over the last decade, critics say the poor turnout is partly a result of regular purges of the voter rolls, new registration requirements, and the state's restrictive voting laws that create unnecessary barriers. Ballots are already being cast for the upcoming August 4 primary - and Debby Gould, president of the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, said so far, the early voting turnout is low.

The League of Women Voters of Chattanooga announces they have registered nearly 1,200 new voters across Hamilton County high schools in recent months. The total comes as the deadline to register to vote is today for the May 3 primary election.

In a suit brought by LWV of Tennessee and partners, a federal judge blocked a new Tennessee law that sought to restrict paid voter registration drives.

Last year, an army of paid workers with stacks of voter registration forms fanned out in Memphis, Nashville and other parts of Tennessee to persuade African Americans to vote. In response, the legislature passed a law imposing civil penalties on groups that employ paid canvassers if they submit incomplete or inaccurate voter registration forms.

LWV of Tennessee filed a federal lawsuit today challenging a new Tennessee law that imposes substantial penalties on groups that foster political participation via voter registration efforts.