As Tennessee Republicans redraw the state’s congressional lines to break up the only majority-Black voting district, the GOP is also pushing
Tennessee Republicans Set To Remove Requirement To Notify Voters Of Changes To Polling Places
As Tennessee Republicans redraw the state’s congressional lines to break up the only majority-Black voting district, the GOP is also pushing a change to the law that may make it harder for many of these voters to cast their ballots. Republicans are pushing to remove the requirement that voters be notified when their assigned polling places change, a move which will likely cause confusion and prevent eligible voters from casting their ballots.
Tennessee scales back notifications for polling station changes
Democracy Docket reported Thursday that the bill passed by Tennessee Republicans to carve up the state’s only majority-Black congressional district also contained a provision that may interfere with voters’ ability to cast their ballots. The gerrymandering bill contains language that eliminates the requirement that county election commissioners notify voters “immediately” when their polling places or voting precincts change after a redistricting process. Until now, commissioners were required to send individual mailers to affected voters notifying them that their polling stations have changed as well as publish this information in local newspapers. Now, county election commissioners are only required to post information about changes to polling places or precincts on their “official website, if one exists.” The less strict notification requirements, combined with shifts in voters’ polling places as a result of the redistricting, may leave many voters unaware that they can no longer cast their votes in the locations where they have done so before. This danger is especially acute for areas such as Memphis, which was targeting in the current gerrymandering process and will now be divided between three different congressional districts.
