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Press release/statement

Tennessee Ranks Among the Worst States for Voter Registration and Turnout, Particularly for Black Voters and Voters of Color, New Report Finds

Underinvestment and Discriminatory Voter Suppression Laws Among Key Contributors to Low Voter Turnout in the Volunteer State

Today, Organize Tennessee, a voting rights advocacy organization, and Dēmos, a nonprofit public policy organization, released a joint report finding that the state of Tennessee is among the worst for voting access, particularly for voters of color. 

“Regardless of political ideology, we should all come together and participate in the decision-making process," said Nadira Freeman, Executive Director of Organize Tennessee. “Instead, our current system works as a barrier so that some people have more of a say than others.”

Read the report

Our findings point to underinvestment and discriminatory voter suppression practices that thwart eligible voters from exercising their fundamental right to vote.

Of the 5.3 million Tennesseans who are members of the Citizen Voting Age Population, the report found, more than 2.3 million were identified as “missing voters” or voters who have not voted in the past three federal elections. Black, Asian and Latino voters were found to be disproportionately impacted in the tallies, largely due to structural hurdles that limit ballot access and suppress the votes of Black voters and other voters of color. Lack of same day registration or automatic voter registration, draconian felony disenfranchisement laws, strict voter ID requirements, inadequate disability accommodations and language access at polling locations are among the key contributors to low voter registration and turnout rates across the state, the report found.

“The ways in which Tennessee has structured its voting parameters puts one group ahead of another, with Black, Latino, and Asian voters being disproportionately left out of the democratic processes,” said Ashley Tjhung, Senior Policy Analyst at Dēmos. “Our findings point to underinvestment and discriminatory voter suppression practices that thwart eligible voters from exercising their fundamental right to vote.”

Organize Tennessee and Dēmos put forward a series of state-level recommendations aimed at addressing the glaring racial disparities in voter registration and turnout. Among them: calling for the removal of Tennessee’s draconian two-step rights restoration which disproportionately disenfranchise Black and brown voters, the implementation of Same Day voter registration, removing barriers to absentee voting, and improved language access voter materials. 

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Organize Tennessee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization driven to uphold safe, secure, and accessible elections for every eligible voter. We advocate for voting rights protections, build coalitions, provide legal support and prioritize grassroots organizing to eliminate barriers and empower disenfranchised Tennesseans.

Dēmos is a non-profit public policy organization working to build a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy and economy. We work hand in hand to build power with and for Black and brown communities, forging strategic alliances with grassroots and state-based organizations.

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