Hamilton County resident Kay Mitchell got a postcard in the mail this week, sent by the Hamilton County Republican Party to some residents.
On the front side, the mailer cautioned in bold red letters with a warning icon: “Fraudulent primary voting is a crime.”
The line beneath said, “signature required,” as the mailer let people know they would have to sign under penalty of perjury that they are members of the party in whose primary they are voting in the state of Tennessee.
On the back, the mailer cites a Tennessee law that states voting in a partisan primary election without being a bona fide member of and affiliated with the political party or declaring allegiance to that party can be punishable as a crime.
“Once I read it more, I realized the intent was to confuse,” Mitchell said about the mailer. “It really just smacks of voter suppression.”