An informal check with Tennessee election administrators shows that people are registering to vote at roughly the same pace or slightly lower levels than previous years, a hint that voter turnout in this year’s midterm elections will be low.
And there’s little sign that the June 24 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Roe v. Wade case, which found a right under the U.S. Constitution for women to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy, has spurred high numbers of women to register to vote in Tennessee.
Statewide, more than 4.54 million were registered to vote as of Oct. 4, Julia Bruck, director of communications with the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, said in an email. That’s an increase of about 115,000 or 2.6% over total registration for the six months that ended on Nov. 30, 2021.
Lack of interest in voter registration denotes a lack of interest in voting, said Kent Syler, professor of political science and public policy at Middle Tennessee State University.
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