Felons convicted out-of-state fight to restore voting rights

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Associated Press

The Campaign Legal Center submitted the complaint on behalf of two residents who have both been convicted of a felony outside of Tennessee and have since had their voting rights restored in the state of their conviction. However, Campaign Legal Center contends this fact was not well known to the public. The group began working late last year with Tennessee's Elections Division to better clarify a path for people looking to restore their rights. Campaign Legal Center describes the extra requirement surrounding payments as “erroneous under state law.” They argue the state offers other routes to restore voting rights for out-of-state felony convictions. Campaign Legal Center argues Tennessee has “likely the highest rate” of voter disenfranchisement in the United States — particularly among Black voters — after Florida voters approved a ballot initiative in 2018 that sought to restore voting rights post-felony sentence.

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