A bill that would prevent the voter registration of illegal immigrants and convicted felons in Tennessee passed both chambers of the legislature on Monday after previously being placed behind the budget in the House.
House Bill 69 (HB0069)/Senate Bill 133 (SB0133) is sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44) and Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27).
The legislation maintains three objectives to be reached by January 1st, 2028:
- Requires that the Secretary of State work with local and state election officials to create a secure electronic portal for county election administrators to verify United States citizenship and voter eligibility.
- Requires that the coordinator of elections, in collaboration with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, to create a similar portal to verify whether someone is ineligible to vote because of a felony conviction.
- Requires a visual distinction, such as a color or font on the face of a photo identification license, to differentiate the class designation for the purpose of voting.
