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House passes portal to check voter eligibility after debate over past mailings and accuracy
Summary
Lawmakers approved a bill creating a secretary-of-state portal to verify voter eligibility against criminal and immigration records before registration; proponents said it prevents inadvertent illegal registration, while opponents said it risks discouraging lawful voters and may undercount communities.
The Tennessee House passed House Bill 69 on Thursday, a measure directing the secretary of state to create a portal to verify voter eligibility at registration by checking criminal-conviction records and citizenship status before adding registrants to voter rolls.
House Leader Larry Lambert, who sponsored the measure, said it arose from a local case in Sumner County in which multiple persons with past felony convictions had been registered and prosecuted for voting. “This would go through the secretary of state's office and they would promulgate rules to ensure that if somebody has gotten their rights restored that they can…
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