Tennessee's New Voting Requirement Could Disenfranchise Hundreds of Thousands

Felons seeking to regain their voting rights must first have their gun rights restored, a complex process that could effectively bar over 450,000 citizens from voting.

Tennessee has introduced a new requirement for felons seeking to regain their voting rights: they must first have their gun rights restored, a process complicated by state and federal laws.
The new policy could effectively disenfranchise people with criminal records, as obtaining relief from the federal gun ban is extremely difficult.
The Campaign Legal Center has challenged Tennessee's voting requirements in federal court, stating that the state has the most convoluted and harsh rights restoration process in the country.
Over 450,000 citizens in Tennessee, more than 9% of the voting age population, are denied the right to vote because of past felony convictions.
Since 2016, less than 1% of post-sentence Tennesseans have regained their voting rights due to modern-day poll taxes and issues with obtaining a Certificate of Restoration.