Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, left, and Rep. John Ragan, right, tour the workshop at Emory Valley Center on Wednesday with David Brooks, Work Training Center coordinator.
Secretary of State Tre Hargett said he doesn’t expect a new voter identification law to be a problem in Tennessee in the Nov. 6 election.
It hasn’t been an issue in two other elections in Tennessee this year, Hargett said after a Wednesday morning tour of the Emory Valley Center in Oak Ridge.
He said about 300 people didn’t have photo identifications in the March and August elections, but roughly half of them—or 150 voters—later returned to their local election commissions and presented IDs, which allowed their votes to be counted.
Others might have decided not to come back when they saw that their votes would not have made a difference, even if they had been counted.
The new voter ID law went into effect on Jan. 1. It requires voters to show an ID that includes their name and photograph.
Acceptable IDs include a Tennessee driver’s license, state-issued handgun carry permit with a photo, a U.S. passport or military photo ID, a photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, or a photo ID issued by the federal government or any state government.
College student IDs and photo IDs that were not issued by the federal government or a state government are not acceptable.
The nonprofit ProPublica journalism organization reported that 30 states have now enacted voter ID laws in some form. Supporters of the new laws say they are needed to combat voter fraud, while critics see them as an attempt to disenfranchise voters, especially the poor, minorities, and elderly residents.
Democrats, in particular, have been critical of some of the changes.
But Hargett characterized the new law in Tennessee as an issue of voter integrity, and not one meant to help Republicans.
“I just want people to vote with confidence,” Hargett said.
Some critics have questioned the need for the new voter ID law in Tennessee, calling it a solution in search of problem.
Hargett disagreed. Thirty-eight people have been convicted of voter fraud in West Tennessee in the last 42 to 48 months, he said.
“There is such a thing as voter fraud,” Hargett said.
Hargett said state officials have reached out to the public, including through media announcements and town hall meetings, to let voters know about the new requirements.
“We’ve done a really good job of outreach across the state,” he said.
Hargett toured Anderson County with Rep. John Ragan on Wednesday, speaking at a government contracting seminar in Oak Ridge in the morning and joining Anderson County commissioners Zach Bates and Tim Isbel at a town hall in Lake City in the afternoon.
He said voters should bring a federal or state-issued ID to the polls on Nov. 6. Voters who don’t have a valid ID can cast a provisional ballot. They then have two business days to return to their local election commission with a valid ID, Hargett said.
“Don’t let them turn you away,” he said.
For more information, visit www.govotetn.com.
mushroomcloud says
I enjoy people who make strupid comments. There is no way to know who will not vote because people who do not have a voter ID will not vote. —-congrats to the politicos they win.
Voting should be done by ATM Pin numbers since you maiintain everyones SSN which is illegal– you could link the last 4 digits of the number which is already in use to the PIN number.
One vote; one photo when voting —they could vote on any machine no need to go to certain precinct —– no need for
poll workers who pretend they don’t know you. No need to use up drivers license time making photos to vote.
AS YOU KNOW the U.S. Suptreme have set standards so the disabled can us ATMs.
mushroomcap says
I enjoy people who make strupid comments.
Tj says
The libs can gripe all they want, but the bottom line is– they are promoting voter fraud by not requiring a picture ID.
Why aren’t they complaining about requiring a picture ID to buy cigarettes or beer?
Ck Kelsey says
TJ they are guilty of voter suppression at the same time. By NOT providing voting info to our military personnel. remember WHO brought 200 lawyers into Florida to make sure that the military votes would NOT be counted. I don’t want to hear about their two pronged attack to steal more elections. Democrats have no respect for voters in reality. Not if they haste the military voters Let them do the right thing and call their cheaters out from their party ..And then they can tell me how stupid a comment is when they stop the problem in their own ranks.
WestEnder says
And there is no way to know how many cases of voter fraud there have been in the past, because there was no voter ID requirement. For all we know there may have been very few, or very many. Now we’ll have a way to prevent and detect it. People who committed fraud in the past won’t be able to anymore, at least not as easily.
agent86 says
If voter impersonation fraud is so prevalent, then why are there not any known complaints about it? Or are you claiming that the folks committing the fraud are so smart that they only impersonate people who don’t vote? You do understand that in the State of Tennessee, one can register to vote without showing anyone proof of citizenship (by mail). All one needs is a fake ID to actually vote. And according to a recent story in the news, fake driver’s licenses are very easy to obtain.
WestEnder says
So you’re saying that we don’t need the Voter ID law because there’s been no voter fraud, but requiring IDs is also pointless because it’s so easy to commit voter fraud?
And search the news before you say there have been no complaints about it happening in the past.
Also, voter fraud isn’t just about people impersonating another registered voter. Again, do some research of your own first.
agent86 says
Name one instance where there has been voter impersonation fraud reported anywhere. No such evidence has ever been presented in a court of law and there have been several opportunities to do so.
And yes, voter fraud isn’t just about people impersonating another registered voter, but the voter ID laws only address voter impersonation, and impersonation is not a significant problem, if it’s a problem at all. Yet the Republicans address only the impersonation issue. Why do you think that is? Why do you think the Republican Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai said that the voter ID law will deliver Pennsylvania to Romney? It’s because the Republicans know that the majority of people without ID’s are poor, black, and elderly, all largely Democratic constituencies.