Expanded voting by mail killed by GOP House subcommittee

Republican lawmakers shot down an effort to allow every Tennessee voter to vote by mail.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, District 55, would have expanded Tennessee’s absentee voter rules, which currently limit voting by mail to 14 separate and somewhat random qualifications.

The Republican-controlled subcommittee would not even allow the bill to be heard.

Clemmons’ vote-by-mail bill would have simplified state law by eliminating the patchwork of exemptions — and likely would have boosted Tennessee’s dismal voter turnout. In the 2018 Midterm Election, Tennessee ranked 45th for voter participation in the U.S. (44.7% of the eligible voting age population).

Rep. Clemmons on Twitter before and after the subcommittee meeting:

In typical House GOP fashion, a bill to increase #voter turnout didn’t get a motion, much less a 2nd motion. TNeans should be very concerned about this GOP supermajority, TN’s Sec of State & Admin of Elections ongoing collective effort to suppress #votes & strip #VotingRights.

— John Ray Clemmons (@JRClemmons) March 6, 2019

Who killed the vote-by mail bill:
No member of the House Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee supported the bill, March 6:
Rep. Tim Rudd, R-Murfreesboro, District 34
Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, District 29
Rep. John Crawford, R-Kingsport, District 1
Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, District 28
Rep. Rick Tillis, R-Lewisberg, District 92