Disenfranchised Tennesseans can vote in this election, Nashville judge rules

Voters with prior felony convictions in Tennessee have just gotten the green light to cast a ballot, the day before Election Day. A Nashville judge has maintained her order to restore the petitioners’ voting rights, after an appeal from the state attorney general’s office.

Attorneys for the state had appealed in defense of a year-old rule from Tennessee’s election commission, requiring hopeful voters to restore their right to own a gun before they can restore their right to vote. Since many felony convictions prohibit a person from owning a gun, the new rule made it impossible for many Tennesseans to restore their rights.

In September, Nashville Judge Angelita Dalton had restored the rights of four people, counter to the rule. The state appealed one business day before the Oct. 7 voter registration deadline.

“Why fight so hard against someone who is trying to do the right thing? Why fight so hard to keep me out of a voting poll?” said Amanda Hopkins, one of the four petitioners.

At 45, Hopkins has never been inside of a voting booth. Since finishing her sentence and overcoming addiction, Hopkins told WPLN News that she’s become more involved in her community.

“It would mean a lot to me personally because I am very community-oriented, and I love to be a part of something,” Hopkins said.

In her order, Judge Dalton ruled that the state did not have standing to appeal the case, since Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk did not object to the original order.

“Even if this Court found that the Attorney General had standing, this Court does not find any of the Attorney General’s arguments persuasive,” Dalton wrote. “This Court previously addressed and affirmatively answered the question of whether the Petitioners may have their ‘full’ rights of citizenship restored despite having permanent firearms prohibitions in place. Nothing in the Attorney General’s pending motions or its oral arguments have convinced this Court that its prior opinion was wrongly decided.”

Monday’s ruling has opened the door for Hopkins to vote for the first time, but the final decision still rests in the state election commission’s hands.

The Tennessee State Election Commission and Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.