Judge rules Tennessee's voter registration form violates federal law

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Ahead of several important elections this year, a federal judge rendered this week that the form that Tennessee uses to register voters violates federal law.

The issue comes down to convicted felons, who have the right to vote. In Tennessee, some people convicted of felonies are not allowed to vote, but that's not the case with all people convicted of felonies. Some still have that right.

The federal judge said the form the state has used to register people to vote isn't clear enough.

A previous version of the state's form said in part, "to register, you must not have been convicted of a felony," even though the state does allow some to vote, depending their convicted crime.

The state's current form goes further, directing people to a website and phone number for more information, but a federal judge says that's still not enough. The judge says it should be clear on the form which people convicted of felonies in the past can and cannot vote.

The judge says, because it isn't clear "as a result... prospective voters would be deterred from registering to vote."

Sekou Franklin is a Middle Tennessee State University political science professor, speaking on behalf of the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP who says this ruling is one small step toward making it easier for those convicted of felonies to get their voting rights back.

The state said it will continue to explore all the legal options available, likely meaning it's keeping the door open to appealing the decision.