Tennessee House Bill HB0246

Tennessee 2023-2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/17/23
• Refer: 1/21/23
• Failed: 3/22/23

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 2, Part 1, relative to maintaining voter registration lists.

Impact

The proposed amendments place a significant emphasis on improving the process by which the state and county election commissions receive and record information about deceased voters. This includes mandates for regular updates and specific reporting requirements, such as including the date of death and the report date in the records. The retention of both electronic and paper records for a minimum of twenty-four months, as specified in the text, highlights an effort to promote transparency and accountability in the election process. Overall, these changes could streamline the voter registration process and improve the reliability of the electoral roll.

Summary

House Bill 0246 aims to amend the Tennessee Code Annotated, specifically regarding the maintenance of voter registration lists. The bill introduces mechanisms to ensure that the voter lists reflect accurate data, particularly concerning deceased individuals. Under this bill, the coordinator of elections is tasked with obtaining up-to-date information about deceased residents from the federal social security administration death master file, particularly in the lead-up to general elections. This effort seeks to maintain the integrity of voter registration by ensuring that those who have passed away are accurately removed from the rolls.

Contention

While the bill is largely focused on maintaining accurate voter registration lists, there may be areas of contention regarding the privacy of deceased individuals and the handling of their information. The requirement to delineate unknown death dates and to maintain public records may raise concerns among advocates for privacy. Furthermore, the bill creates an obligation for county election commissions to act promptly on receiving updates, which may be debated in terms of the resources required for properly implementing these changes. Therefore, while enhancing data accuracy, the bill may face scrutiny concerning its implications on voter privacy and administrative burdens.