TN voters receiving citizenship letters call move an intimidation tactic: ‘A gut punch’

When Memphis restaurateur and chef Patrick Reilly received a letter from the Tennessee Division of Elections last month demanding proof of U.S. citizenship and outlining penalties for voter fraud, it was the first time his citizenship had ever been questioned.

“It was like a gut punch,” Reilly said. “It was really unusual. It was the first time I’d ever sort-of felt … unsure.”

“Nobody’s ever questioned me. I’m a white, middle aged man that speaks with a funny Southern accent," he said. "My Irish accent has sort of disappeared over the years."

Originally from Ireland, Reilly has lived in the United States since the early 1990s, and in Tennessee since 2000. He owns two restaurants in Memphis, and is a leader in the city's culinary and business community. He has been a U.S. citizen since Jan. 27, 2011.

“It’s hard to explain, but I was quite proud, putting my hand up and swearing that oath,” he said. “It’s different when you come here: people who were born here sometimes take it all for granted. But to stand in a room with other people and pledge allegiance was quite emotional. I did it because I wanted to vote, I wanted my son to be a good citizen.”

U.S. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, read a proclamation from Congress during the celebration his wife, Deni, organized at his restaurant after the ceremony.

“It was very special. He quoted Justice Brandeis saying — I’ll never forget this — that ‘the only title more important than president is the title of citizen,’” Reilly said.

Reilly was one of 14,375 registered Tennessee voters that received letters requesting proof of citizenship from the Division of Elections in June, weeks ahead of the Aug. 1 primary. State officials have defended the letters, saying they were an effort to maintain state voter rolls and prevent voter fraud.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has indicated that a lawsuit may be coming.

“We demand an end to voter intimidation and assurances that no one will be removed from TN’s voter rolls in relation to this discriminatory letter, or we’ll have to take further action,” the ACLU of Tennessee said in a social media statement.

House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, welcomes the challenge.

“Feel free to sue. In Tennessee, we will continue to do everything possible to make sure only US CITIZENS can vote in elections,” Lamberth wrote in a recent social media post. “Liberals may not like that, but it is and shall remain the law.”

But it’s unclear whether elections officials followed state laws for voter roll maintenance. If there is evidence that a registered voter is not a U.S. citizen, state law requires elections officials to notify the voter’s county election commission, not send a letter directly to the voter. Officials are also authorized to compare voter rolls with both state and federal databases to ensure non-citizens are not registered to vote. Officials have declined to say if any federal databases were consulted before letters were sent.

Officials continue to decline to answer questions about whether any of the 14,000 recipients have confirmed they are not actually U.S. citizens, or whether any registered voters will be removed from voter rolls if they don’t respond.

Officials have not responded to inquiries on whether non-respondents could be removed from voter rolls before early voting began.

“Due to the threat of potential legal action, we have no additional comment at this time,” Doug Kufner, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State's office, told The Tennessean in an email.

The Division of Elections, which is part of the office, has not answered inquiries of how many voters questioned have responded to the letters.

But they have answered questions for letter recipients who have called.

Charles Lieou, a research scientist in the safety engineering department at the University of Tennessee, called the Division of Elections with questions ― initially to make sure that the letter he received was not a scam. An official he spoke with told him that state elections officials could not compare state voter rolls with federal databases. Lieou mailed in documentation to prove his citizenship.

Originally from Hong Kong, Lieou first came to the United States to study for his Ph.D., and ultimately became a U.S. citizen in September 2022.

"This country really offered me a lot of opportunities in my career, in everything," Lieou told The Tennessean. "Where my mom still lives right now in Hong Kong is basically in shambles right now. It's very much authoritarian right now, they have no freedom of speech ― none whatsoever. I'm very concerned about what's happening there. This country changed my destiny, in a way. I'm very grateful for that."

Lieou said he felt the letter "presumed that I'm guilty until I prove myself innocent," and felt like an effort to "try to discourage me to vote" ― something he's particularly wary of with his own life experience.

"I'm really very, very sensitive about these issues pertaining to democracy and freedom and all that because I don't want to see any of that sort of thing happening in America," he said.

Reilly also provided his citizenship documentation, as the letter requested. He says it’s possible administrators reached out because when he originally got his Tennessee driver’s license — more than a decade ago — he was not yet a U.S. citizen.

“I can see how administratively that would have popped up if they went back and they said, ‘Hey, when this guy got his drivers’ license, he wasn’t a U.S. citizen, let’s make sure he has one now,’” he said. “I don’t have a problem with that. I just felt like the manner in which it was done was not designed to be an administrative function.”

In his view, the tone of the letter, lack of a clear deadline, and lack of any consequences for nonresponse sent a clear message.

“When you send a letter like that, it should be, ‘This is where we are, this is what you need to do, and this is the result if you don’t to what we say,’ he said. “To me, it sounded like an intimidation tactic, but that had no basis in law because there was no consequence for not doing it.”

“In my opinion, it was written purposely to intimidate,” he said.

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com or on X @Vivian_E_Jones. 

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN voters receiving US citizenship letters call move intimidation