When Shane Terry decided he wanted to restore his voting rights in 2020, the process felt like following breadcrumbs someone left all over town.
To track down documents to prove his eligibility, he had to visit the parole office — which had moved in the roughly 20 years since he’d had to report there, he said, though luckily his own officer was still working. From there, he said, he was bounced between offices, never seeming to have the right paperwork in the right place.
(READ MORE: Judge: Tennessee must improve voting rights restoration for past felons)
Terry lost his right to vote after being convicted of felony charges for marijuana and firearm possession. Two decades later, he’d basically given up hope when he finally got a notice in the mail saying he’d gotten his rights back, he said.
“It left me with the feeling that the state of Tennessee did not want me to vote again,” Terry said by phone.