Tennessee doesn’t require voters to register by party. A new proposal to allow it is causing confusion.

A bill moving through the Tennessee legislature would allow voters to register with a party, ultimately skipping the current process of choosing which primary ballot they want. Some find the language of the measure contradictory. 

Last year, the General Assembly considered a bill that would limit primaries to voters who register with either the Democratic or Republican party, excluding voters who are unaffiliated.

On Tuesday, Rep. Bryan Richey, R-Maryville, proposed a bill that is similar but would allow those who are unaffiliated to still choose a ballot at the polls when they go in to vote, just how it works now.

But the caption of the bill and the bill text don’t match, leaving some people confused. Shannon Rasmussen, a Tennessee voter, is one of them.

“HB 1616 has an identity problem. Its caption says something different from the body of the bill,” said Rasmussen. “Its sponsor says the media interpretation is wrong. And the voters are trying to figure out what to believe.”

Clearing the air, Richey restated that the bill does not close primaries to unaffiliated voters.

Rep. John Holsclaw, R-Elizabethton, says the measure adds more complication to a state that already struggles at “getting people out to vote.” He worries it could “push more people away.”

The measure passed and heads to the House Finance Ways and Means committee. If it becomes law, it’d be effective ahead of the upcoming presidential election.