NASHVILLE - Tennessee's GOP-led House on Monday gave final approval to a controversial bill that subjects paid voter registration groups to civil and even criminal penalties for submitting too many incomplete or inaccurate forms to election officials.
Opponents immediately called on Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who avoided weighing in during the debate, to veto the measure.
Earlier, representatives went along with several Senate Republican changes to the measure, which has drawn fire from state and national groups with one calling it a "blatantly racist" attempt to "suppress" efforts to register blacks and other minorities.
It passed on a 72-25 party line vote and is now headed to Lee's desk.
The House went along with Senate amendments to the bill, originally brought by Republican Secretary of State Tre Hargett, who argues it's necessary to ensure election integrity. He said his effort came after the Tennessee Black Voter Project last fall submitted some 10,000 Shelby County registrations on the registration deadline.
Many were filled out incorrectly, Hargett contended.
Hargett declined to comment on the bill's passage as he was leaving the Capitol.
The bill has drawn opposition because of provisions including one that would allow the assessment of a civil penalty against groups that turn in more than 100 incomplete voter registration forms.
The League of Women Voters of Tennessee says that's an issue because rates may look high but are low in terms of total percentages.
For example, a group submitting 5,000 forms with only 100 incomplete could face a penalty despite having a 98 percent accuracy rate.
Civil penalties could soar as high as $10,000.
The legislation also bars people and organizations from conducting voter registration drives by paying workers based on the number of sign-ups they get.
It has provisions that could lead to violators facing a Class A misdemeanor for issues including not undergoing newly mandated state training. Violators could be subject to serving up to a year in jail and up to $2,500 in fines.
The Equity Alliance, a nonprofit focused on building civic engagement in communities of color, and the Tennessee Black Voter Project co-signed a letter asking Lee to veto the bill.
"A new law with criminal penalties and civil fines for some voter registration organizations is not needed when face-to-face training, clear direction and constructive collaboration will solve the problem," the letter states.
The groups say House Bill 1079 "would create the nation's most aggressive fines for voter registration drives that turn in voter registration forms with errors."
They also charge the bill came only due to the "largest modern voter registration effort for Black Tennesseans in state history."
In 2018, the Tennessee Black Voter Project submitted roughly 90,000 voter registration forms.
"On the heels of the most successful voter registration campaign aimed at registering black and brown citizens, this law is blatantly racist and mirrors Jim Crow-era intimidation used to stifle decades of progress our nation and state has made to ensure voting rights for people of color," said Charlane Oliver, board president of The Equity Alliance, in a statement.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow on Twitter @AndySher1.