NASHVILLE, TN – The Rutherford County Clerk of Court will end its practice of charging individuals with felony convictions a fee to regain their freedom to vote, following a settlement agreement reached in federal court. Campaign Legal Center (CLC) represents the Tennessee NAACP (TN NAACP) and five individual citizens with felony convictions in the case, which challenges the state’s failure to provide a clear rights restoration and appeal process across its 95 counties.

Tennessee law requires people with felony convictions to obtain a Certificate of Restoration of Voting Rights (COR) in order to register to vote, but Rutherford County charged a $25 fee per felony conviction to issue CORs, a practice that ends with the settlement of this claim.

"Exercising your freedom to vote should not cost you money,” said Blair Bowie, Legal Counsel & Restore Your Vote Manager at Campaign Legal Center (CLC). "The Tennessee legislature created a pathway for people with felony convictions to restore their rights, but it isn’t working because it is inaccessible and there are no uniform procedures across the state. Rutherford County’s agreement not to charge this poll tax is important progress, eliminating one of the many unnecessary and unconstitutional obstacles for people who are eligible for Certificates of Restoration.”

Of the approximately 360,000 Tennesseans who have completed their felony sentences only 3,415 have regained their freedom to vote since 2016, according to The Sentencing Project.

"Poll taxes have long been used to suppress Black voters and this agreement represents an important victory,” said TN NAACP President Gloria Sweet-Love. "However, there is still a long way to go to make sure that the more than 451,000 Tennesseans, including more than 21% of Black Tennesseans, who are disenfranchised can restore their voting rights.”

Nationally, Tennessee has the third largest population of disenfranchised citizens, the second highest rate of disenfranchisement (9.1%), and the second highest rate of Black disenfranchisement.

"No one should pay for the right to vote. That’s why our Constitution prohibits charging a tax to vote,” said Charles K. Grant, Shareholder at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, and co-counsel in the lawsuit. "This is an excellent result. We’re pleased that this practice has ended.”

"The settlement eliminates one poll tax, but we still have much work to do to ensure that poverty, and the ability to pay court costs, restitution and child support, does not exclude people from the franchise,” said Dawn Harrington, Executive Director of Free Hearts, which is co-counsel in the lawsuit. "Senate Bill 18 would eliminate all poll taxes in Tennessee.”

"We applaud Rutherford County's recognition that fees should not be charged to restore voting rights after a prior felony convictions,” remarked Phil Telfeyan, Executive Director of Equal Justice Under Law, co-counsel in the lawsuit. "There are still hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans who have the right to vote but are not able to do so; we hope other counties follow Rutherford County's lead by removing financial barriers to re-enfranchisement."

The TN NAACP and impacted individuals filed the lawsuit on Dec. 3, 2020. RestoreYourVote.org is a free online resource run by CLC to help voters navigate state laws, determine their eligibility, and register to vote.

Washington, D.C.  – On March 24, 2021, at 10 a.m. EST, the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration will hold a hearing on the For the People Act, legislation that will strengthen our democracy and crack down on political corruption in both parties. Trevor Potter, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) President and Republican former chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), will testify as an expert witness during the second panel on campaign finance and ethics panel.

Potter will emphasize the importance of the proposed campaign finance and ethics legislation in S.1, in making our government more accessible, transparent, and responsive to the American people.

Members of the media should go to the following link to view the hearing: United States Senate Committee on Rules & Administration

WHO:  Trevor Potter, CLC President and Republican former chairman of the FEC

WHAT: The For the People Act Senate Rules Committee hearing

WHEN: Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 10 a.m. EST

WHERE: Russell Senate Office Building 301

Background:

CLC has fought for reforms in campaign finance, government ethics, voting rights and redistricting in the For the People Act, to ensure power is given back to regular voters by reducing the influence of wealthy donors and stopping extreme voter suppression.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate introduced the For the People Act and designated the bill as S.1. This new legislation will crack down on political corruption in both parties and strengthen our democracy. S.1 will improve access to the ballot, strengthen ethics laws to prevent public officials from enriching themselves, end partisan gerrymandering and limit the influence wealthy donors have over politicians.

“This landmark bill, if passed into law, would make our government more accessible, transparent and responsive to the American people. Giving the For the People Act the official designation of S.1 reflects the importance of these solutions to the well-being of our democracy,” said Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center (CLC), and Republican former chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC). “S.1 would address many of the obvious and harmful problems in our democracy at a time when it is facing a crisis of confidence.”

The For the People Act is the first bill for both the Senate and the House, signifying its importance to congressional leaders. The democracy reforms in S.1 and H.R. 1 are drawn from bills that have long had bipartisan political sponsorship at both the federal and state levels. Many elected officials have pledged to prioritize democracy reform, and they should make good on their promise. Americans deserve to have a government that is accessible, transparent and responsive to the people.

61% of voters supported independent commission at ballot box in 2018 in constitutional amendment spearheaded by Voters Not Politicians

CINCINNATI, OH – Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit will hear arguments in Daunt v Benson, a case that challenges the constitutionality of voter-approved reforms designed to end gerrymandering in Michigan. The decision could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and would impact the movement to adopt independent redistricting commissions across the country. Campaign Legal Center (CLC) represents Voters Not Politicians (VNP), the grassroots group that drafted and sponsored the constitutional amendment to create an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. CLC has successfully defended Michigan’s voter-approved reform from two legal challenges so far. Twice in federal district court and in a prior appeal to the same appeals court hearing today’s arguments, the commission was ruled constitutional.

Arguments will be live streamed here at 10am ET. CLC director of trial litigation Mark Gaber will be giving arguments on behalf of the defense.

“Voters should pick their politicians, not the other way around,” said Paul Smith, vice president at Campaign Legal Center (CLC). “We hope the court will reject this latest attempt by politicians and special interests to hold onto their power to redraw district lines and thwart the will of the people. The fair maps amendment was supported by 61% of Michigan voters and should be upheld.”

"It’s been over two years since the people of Michigan voted overwhelmingly to put an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission in charge of drawing the state’s election district maps free from potential conflicts of interest from politicians and lobbyists,” said Nancy Wang, executive director at Voters Not Politicians. “The citizen-led redistricting process is proceeding just as voters intended. Voters are engaged and already submitting their input. The Commission will conduct public hearings around the state starting in May. Voters Not Politicians is supporting communities so they may make themselves heard in the redistricting process for the first time in our state’s history.”

Michigan’s redistricting reform amendment makes partisan politicians, lobbyists and other political insiders and their immediate family members, who are likely to have a conflict of interest in drawing district lines to benefit themselves, ineligible from serving on the commission. The individuals would, like any member of the public, have the ability to engage in redistricting by taking part in the public hearing process.

In 2018, 61% (over 2.5 million) of Michigan voters decided to put voters in charge of drawing state legislative and congressional election maps through a fair and transparent process for drawing political maps. Michigan voters of both major political parties supported the amendment, including voters in 65 of Michigan’s 83 counties.

At least 60 percent of Democrats, Independents and Republicans support the creation of independent redistricting commissions, according to polling.

Read the backstory: [How Michigan Voters Came Together to Flip Gerrymandering On Its Head]

Virtual Press Conference on Voting Access Rollbacks – Wednesday, March 10: 2pm-3pm ET

ATLANTA, GA - As Georgia lawmakers prepare to vote on a sweeping bill which would significantly restrict access to voting, national and local advocates for fair elections will hold a virtual press conference to discuss its harmful impact on different communities. The groups, representing legal, minority, community, and disability groups, strongly oppose several new restrictive proposals. In addition to restricting voting access in Georgia, speakers will touch on the concern that the trends identified in Georgia will expand nationally.

Georgia voters turned out in massive numbers twice in recent months, for both the November 2020 general election and the January 2021 runoff election. Rather than building off a record setting level of civic engagement, Georgia lawmakers are now seeking to roll back voter participation and make it harder for Georgians to vote. Proposed election changes in Georgia include:

• eliminating no-excuse absentee voting
• requiring first-time voters in Georgia to vote in person
• requiring absentee voters to provide a photocopy of their photo ID
• Language that could prohibit the use of ballot drop boxes
• restricting county election officials’ ability to utilize mobile precincts to serve rural and other hard-to-reach voters
• removing restrictions on poll watchers that keep election officials safe without facilitating additional transparency for voters

Members of the media should go to the following Zoom link to attend the call, which is on-the-record.

Speakers:

• Aklima Khondoker: Georgia State Director at All Voting is Local
• Caleb Jackson: Legal Counsel, Voting Rights at Campaign Legal Center (CLC)
• Dana Lloyd: Program Director at Georgia Advocacy Office (GAO)
• Gaylon Tootle: First Vice President at National Federation of the Blind-Georgia, and author of recent Augusta Chronicle op-ed
• Michael King: Associate Director of Law & Policy at Voting Rights Lab
• Poy Winichakul: Staff Attorney, SPLC Action Fund

There will be a Q&A following speaker presentations.