Bill Lee (R) takes part in a discussion criminal justice reform in Nashville on April 17. “There are schools and grass-roots organizations and churches around Tennessee that have all been working to do what the state hasn’t been able to do — to address this crisis of low voter registration,” Clarke said. Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, a Republican, argued that the episode in Memphis wasn’t evidence of suppression, but rather proof that voter registration groups needed to be reined in. “We want every eligible Tennessean to vote, and voter registration must be done responsibly and in a manner that does not compromise the security or integrity of elections,” Hargett recently said. When Lee signed the bill Thursday, he argued that the new rules would ensure fairer elections.

Source: Washington Post May 03, 2019 05:59 UTC