“The American system of democracy is founded on the concept that every citizen has the right to vote, to know that their vote is counted, and that the vote is counted accurately.”
-Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Maryland
Since the founding of our nation, voting rights have been expanded repeatedly by legislation and constitutional amendments. When our framers drafted our Constitution, they did not perceive the value of universal suffrage. But, through social evolution our society has progressed and conventionally disenfranchised citizens, such as ethnic minorities and women, have achieved voting rights through these sacrosanct amendments.
More than one-third of the 17 amendments added to the U.S. Constitution since the scribing of the 1791 Bill of Rights have addressed voter eligibility and increased democratic complicity.
On May 16, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed HB 475, a bill sponsored by state Rep. Mike Carter, of Ooltewah, which establishes a 13-month moratorium on the “forced annexations” of farm and residential properties. This monumental legislation is the first annexation reform passed since the adoption of the Growth Policy Act of Tennessee – an infamous piece of legislation considered by many as the third rail of Tennessee politics.