Residents register before casting ballots at the E.L. Ross Elementary School precinct in Cleveland, Tenn.VOTING PROBLEMS?
The Tennessee Coalition for Action is collecting incidents of people who had problems voting on Nov. 6. To submit, visit tnca.org/problems-voting.
Only a fraction of voters complained they were restricted from casting ballots on Election Day because of Tennessee’s controversial and highly publicized voter photo ID law, but opponents of the law insist that even “low” numbers are unacceptable.
“You can’t say it’s ‘not that many’ when you’re talking about someone’s right to vote,” said Nashville attorney Doug Johnston, whose firm is challenging the law in Tennessee’s Supreme Court.
“The Constitution lays out the qualifications, and they were perfectly qualified to vote,” Johnston said. “I don’t understand the argument that it’s not very many, when [the state] can’t give any real statistics on voter fraud which supposedly set all this law in action.”
The Tennessee Legislature passed the law in 2011 requiring a photo ID to vote. Opponents argue that the law was politically motivated to discourage groups that tend to support Democrats — such as the elderly, minorities and students — from voting.