TN voters won't be purged from rolls over citizenship letters; map shows top ZIP code for letters

Tennessee election officials have clarified that more than 14,000 registered voters who were sent letters demanding proof of citizenship last month will not be removed from voter rolls if they don't respond.

The June 13 letter, sent weeks before early voting in the Aug. 1 primary began, outlined penalties for voting illegally, and did not specify whether voters would be removed if they failed to provide evidence of their U.S. citizenship.

Tennessee's Division of Elections has repeatedly declined to answer questions about the letters in recent weeks, citing potential legal threat.

Officials sent a follow up letter to recipients on Tuesday clarifying that people will not be removed from voter rolls if they choose not respond to the June 13 letter ― something his office declined to clarify in any public statement in the weeks since the initial letters were sent.

"The June 13 letter gave people the option to update their records. It did not threaten to remove a person from the voter list if a person does not respond to the June 13 letter," Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins wrote. "No one will be removed from a voting list for not responding to the June 13 letter."

So far, the Division of Elections has received evidence of U.S. citizenship from 3,193 people to whom letters were sent, spokesperson Doug Kufner told The Tennessean in an email. A total of 307 people have responded to the letter requesting to be removed from Tennessee voter rolls.

Voters who responded with proof of citizenship received a letter from Goins encouraging them to vote in the Aug. 1 and Nov. 5 elections, according to a copy of the response letter provided to The Tennessean by the Division of Elections.

Goins explained in the follow up letter that "correct and updated voting records are important to maintaining the integrity of our elections in Tennessee," but that "most responses to the June 13 letter have been positive."

According to ZIP code data provided by the Tennessee Secretary of State's office, letters were sent to voters in nearly 500 of Tennessee's 620 ZIP codes. About a dozen letters were sent to voters in ZIP codes outside the state.

More letters were sent to voters in the ZIP code 37013, in the Antioch neighborhood in Southeast Nashville, than any other ZIP code, with 1,253 letters sent there. Another 645 letters went to 37211, another area in Southeast Nashville.

Goins accused non-governmental organizations of creating "confusion about the contents and purpose" of the June 13 letter, and emphasized the importance of voting legally.

"I encourage all of Tennessee’s eligible US citizens to register to vote and participate in Tennessee elections," Goins wrote. "If a non-US citizen votes in a Tennessee election, however, it is a crime that carries significant penalties. I thought it prudent to let any non-US citizen improperly registered to vote know this and remove himself or herself from the voter rolls."

Some Tennesseans who received the letters said they felt the letters were an intimidation tactic and felt their citizenship was being questioned by the state. The ACLU of Tennessee also expressed outrage over the letters, as did other immigrant rights organizations.

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics at The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com or on X at @Vivian_E_Jones.