NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee lawmakers have gaveled into their Special Session to consider redrawing Tennessee's Congressional map. Republicans admit that they want to redraw Memphis’s congressional district to make it favorable for Republicans to give the party all of the state’s nine congressional seats.
Tensions over the special session heated up before the first gavel even dropped.
At a House Rules Committee meeting on Tuesday morning, all of the Democratic rule suggestions were voted down. Republicans adopted their suggested rule changes, which include expelling audience members for the entire special session if they disrupt proceedings.
Under normal rules, that expulsion only lasts a single day.
Irritated by that rule change, demonstrators in the committee room sang the National Anthem while the committee voted on the measure.
In an interview with NewsChannel 5, House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) defended redistricting.
“You see all these other states, blue states, Massachusetts, California, Virginia, you have other states redrawing their maps,” said Sexton.
But Sexton could only describe his proposed version of the map, instead of showing us.
“In our map, Shelby County will have three Congressmen. Davidson stays three, so there’s not a lot of different changes there,” Sexton said.
So why isn’t the map finalized?
Sexton admitted House and Senate Republican leaders can’t come to a consensus.
“On the House side, there is a map that I think we’re really close where we’re at. I don’t know if the Senate’s there or not. They’ve got a couple other things they’re trying to work out internally,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll continue to have conversations and see where we get.”
Tennessee Democrats say this power grab from Tennessee Republicans is different from other redistricting efforts by Democrat-controlled states.
“I do think it’s different. Our state law expressly prohibits us from redrawing districts between censuses. Here we are, rewriting rules of the game, in the middle of the game, to try to benefit one political party,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville).
Senate Democratic Caucus Chair London Lamar (D-Memphis) says it erases African American influence in the Bluff City.
“They are so ready to abuse power in our faces that they are going to take our vote away in front of everybody, and they just don’t care,” said Sen. Lamar.
What ultimately happens is unknown in this special session, but there’s no doubt there will be tension between lawmakers and demonstrators watching it all unfold.
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