Washington Co. Democratic Party chair accuses state of ‘voter intimidation’ over letters sent to registered voters
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Tennessee recently sent more than 14,000 letters to potential non-citizens in the state warning against illegal voting. State officials say the letters were sent to maintain accurate voter rolls, but others are calling the letters an intimidation tactic.
The letters state that the person’s voter information matches with an individual who may not have been a U.S. citizen at the time they got their driver’s license or ID card. It then lists the penalty for illegal voting and requests evidence for proof of citizenship. It also lists how to remove their name from the voter rolls if they are not a citizen.
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Sylvain Bruni, chair of the Washington County Democratic Party, says the letter is an attempt to suppress the votes of citizens in Tennessee. He believes the state should have asked county election commissions to verify the rolls instead.
“So, people who acquire the U.S. citizenship and then register to vote, which, by the way, was my case in 2018, I became a US citizen and the first thing I did was register to vote right after my ceremony in Boston,” Bruni said.
The local party head believes the letters are discriminatory and an attempt to keep naturalized citizens from voting. He says several local voters received the letter and reached out about it.
“They were very frustrated, very angry, some afraid about what was happening,” Bruni said. “They did not know why they were receiving that. They thought they had done something wrong when they did not do anything wrong. And those are folks who are law-abiding citizens who have the right to vote and should cast their votes. But the effect of that letter, as has been demonstrated by many people here in Washington County, is basically making people think that, ‘Well, maybe I should not vote this time around because I’m at risk of something.'”
The communications director for the Tennessee secretary of state’s office, Doug Kufner, sent a statement to News Channel 11 on behalf of Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins.
“The Tennessee Division of Elections has sent 14,375 letters to potential non-U.S. citizens. The list was developed after a comparison of Tennessee voter rolls with data supplied by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Accurate voter rolls are a vital component to ensuring election integrity, and Tennessee law makes it clear that only eligible voters are allowed to participate in Tennessee elections.
The data from the Department of Safety and Homeland Security is a snapshot of what is probably the first interaction the person had with the Department of Safety and Homeland Security. For those who received the letter, this data indicates the person may not have been a U.S. citizen at the time of the transaction. The person could have been naturalized since applying for a driver’s license but likely did not update their records with the Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
The letter provides an easy way for these voters to correct their voter registration information. It also explains that it is a felony in Tennessee for someone who is not a U.S. citizen to vote in any election.”
Doug Kufner on behalf of Mark Goins
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The secretary of state’s office also said responses to the letters have been “overwhelmingly positive from citizens wanting to correct their information.”
Bruni says the Washington County Election Commission was unaware of the letters. He believes the state should have asked local election commissions to verify the rolls and accused the state of trying to take power away from local offices.
“They really care about the integrity of our election. They take it very seriously,” Bruni said. “They would have done the job and figured it out. Instead, the state took the route of, ‘We’re going to handle it.’ And it is basically intimidating voters into not voting. And that’s just plain wrong.”
The WCDP sent a letter to the Washington County Election Commission.
“We also want to know what will the Washington County Election Commission do to push back against any efforts of voter suppression or voter intimidation like this one?”
WCDP-Letter-to-WCEC-2024-07-02-Voter-Intimidation-LettersDownload
Bruni says voters need to make their voices heard at the polls.
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