Republican Lawmakers Pass Legislation To Protect Tennessee’s Elections From Fraud

Legislation to protect Tennessee’s elections from fraud and abuse passed the House of Representatives with strong support this week.

House Bill 1079 requires a person or organization that plans to conduct a registration drive attempting to collect 100 or more voter registration forms and pays individuals to collect the voter registration forms to register with the Coordinator of Elections and receive training prior to conducting drives.

This measure makes intentional violations a Class A misdemeanor for each offense on an individual or an organization that fails to adhere to new requirements under the measure. It also allows the State Election Commission to assess civil penalties to persons/organizations submitting a high number of deficient forms.

As amended, House Bill 1079 only applies to a person or organization that pays individuals to collect voter registration forms. The bill would not apply to individuals or organizations that collect forms using unpaid volunteers, such as the Boy Scouts, churches, or college student government associations.

It is important for every Tennessean to vote, but we must ensure voter registration is done in a responsible and lawful manner. This bill will ensure applications are timely filed and our election process is not compromised.