TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Apr 22, 2024

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee ruled last week that Tennessee election officials cannot deny voter registration to eligible Tennesseans who have past felony convictions, and that they must inform potential voters of eligibility requirements for voting after a felony. The decision came in the case of NAACP, et al. v. William Lee, et al. The Campaign Legal Center, Free Hearts and Baker Donelson represented voters in the suit. The groups argued that many Tennesseans with a felony conviction never lost the right to vote, or since have had those rights restored, but continue to be treated as those who lost their rights. They also argued that Tennessee’s voter registration form misinformed potential voters on the law. According to the group, Tennessee has the second-largest disenfranchised population in the country and the highest rate of Black disenfranchisement in the country. Read the court’s decision or more from the Campaign Legal Center.