It’s a cliché, but as we watch the violence escalate following the recent election in Venezuela, perhaps it’s a forgivable one: Democracy is as fragile as it is precious.
On June 13, The Tennessee Office of Elections sent letters to 14,375 registered voters across the state, threatening criminal prosecution for illegal voting and demanding that they verify their U.S. citizenship. The recipients of these letters were naturalized citizens who had already verified their U.S. citizenship during the voting registration process. As expected, the letters left these voters confused, fearful, and intimidated.
“The letters sent to naturalized citizens perpetuate Tennessee’s shameful history of voter suppression targeting people of color,” states Tessa Lemos Del Pino, executive director for ILJ affiliate Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors. “As immigration lawyers, we know first-hand all that it requires to become a naturalized citizen. It is vitally important that we do all that we can to ensure that people can exercise their right to vote.”
TNJFON and other immigrant rights organizations joined forces with the ACLU to demand that the state cease all actions of voter intimidation, issue a public statement declaring that these citizens will not be removed from the state voter rolls, and send written confirmation to recipients of the original letter that their voter registration is still valid.
“We joined in this demand letter response because, as advocates, it is our duty to stand with our clients and advocate for their rights,” explains Tessa. “Asking one group of eligible voters to meet requirements not required of all voters is discrimination.”
TNJFON also produced a user-friendly non-partisan voter guide to help new voters—and not-so-new voters—understand our complicated state and federal election laws. Although created to prepare voters for the Tennessee primary elections in August, several of our ILJ sites across our network are considering how they can best adapt this clear and easy-to-understand guide to help their communities prepare for November.
Keep fighting, Tennessee!
Recommended reading: Immigration Impact “Unpacking Myths About Noncitizen Voting — How Heritage Foundation’s Own Data Proves It’s Not a Problem” by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council.