Advocacy groups are telling recipients to disregard letters sent by the Tennessee Secretary of State that urges them to verify their residency or remove themselves from voter logs.
The Campaign Legal Center believes it’s an attempt to confuse voters. And the Nashville International Center for Empowerment, which aids resettled refugees, is telling people to follow this infographic for legal guidance:
More: Anger ripples after election officials ask naturalized citizens to prove status before voting
The strongly worded suggestion from the state could come off as though a recipient has done something wrong, and possibly illegal. It talks about a felony charge and possible jail time for non-citizens who vote in the upcoming election. The letter includes a removal request form so they can choose to unregister.
Jonathan Diaz, with the Campaign Legal Center, says the state should clarify what will happen if voters don’t respond.
“I think it’s the Secretary of State’s responsibility … to clarify that the people who received these letters will not be removed from the rolls between now and the August primary or the November general,” said Diaz.
A spokesperson for the Secretary of State says the letters were sent as part of election security.
Federal law restricts states from purging voter rolls within 90 days of an election. Diaz believes officials purposely sent the letters to discourage immigrants from voting.
The American Civil Liberties Union also points out that that what Tennessee is attempting to do goes against rulings by federal courts.
“Tennessee is trying to make it harder for voters to exercise their most fundamental right, using methods that courts across the country have already repeatedly rejected,” said Theresa J. Lee, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project.
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