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Class Action Challenging Voter Suppression in Tennessee Survives Motion to Dismiss
Class Actions, Voting Rights Teddy Basham-Witherington Class Actions, Voting Rights Teddy Basham-Witherington

Class Action Challenging Voter Suppression in Tennessee Survives Motion to Dismiss

Under Tennessee law, anyone convicted of a felony after 1981 is stripped of the right to vote. The result of this policy is that more than 9% of the total voting age population of Tennessee – and more than 21% of African-American voting age population – cannot vote. Despite more than 365,000 Tennesseans having completed their entire felony sentences, including probation and parole, only about 3,400 people have successfully obtained Certificates of Restoration since 2016 – less than 1%.

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