NASHVILLE – Tennessee soldiers serving overseas will find it easier to vote in elections back home under a bill sponsored by Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga.
House Bill 2799 got caught up in partisan wrangling last year but was passed out of the Elections Subcommittee to the full House State and Local Government Committee.
Rep. McCormick’s bill allows county election commissions to send ballots by e-mail to service members overseas. Soldiers still would have to mail their ballots back to preserve their privacy.
Meanwhile, a bill requiring Tennesseans to submit proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote also passed the Elections Subcommittee with substantial amendments.
The bill by Rep. Eric Watson, R-Cleveland, which failed on a tie vote last year, now requires prospective voters to check a box on their registration card stating they are U.S. citizens. Violators could risk two years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
Before the amendment, HB 270 required submission of a valid driver’s license or birth certificate as well as the applicant’s parents’ names.