3 Bills Aimed At Establishing Trust In TN Election Results To Be Considered In Legislature
Image Credit: Thomas R Machnitzki / CC & Public Domain
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Three bills that seek to help ensure election integrity in Tennessee are slated to be heard in a Senate Committee, a House Subcommittee and on the House floor next week.
If you support any or all of these bills, be sure to contact the Republican Representatives (who hold the supermajority vote) listed below to voice your support prior to their meetings next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
#1 Prohibiting Foreign Influence In TN Elections Through Social Media Channels
House Bill 2203 (HB2203), sponsored by Representative Chris Todd (R-Madison County-District 73) and Senate Bill 2643 (SB2643), sponsored by Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10), as introduced, sought to prohibit foreign nationals, corporations, and interest groups from interfering with state and local governmental affairs by financing certain political agendas, preferences, and activities that do not involve the election of an individual to a public office.
The bill was amended to read, “Prohibits a foreign national, foreign corporation, foreign charitable or nonprofit organization, foreign governmental entity or body, or foreign interest group from interfering with a federal, state, or local election, governmental entity, agency, or governing body by providing financial support for certain initiatives and referendums or through social media advertisements intended to disseminate disinformation.”
HB2203 has been placed on the calendar for the House of Representatives for a vote on Monday, March 14th, 2022. If you would like to offer your support for the bill, you can find your Representative HERE.
SB2643 has been placed on the Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for Tuesday, March 15th, 2022. You can find the Republican members’ contact information below.
Senate State and Local Government Committee
Richard Briggs (Chair) – sen.richard.briggs@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1766
Todd Gardenhire (1st Vice-Chair) – sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6682
Page Walley (2nd Vice-Chair) – sen.page-walley@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2368
Ed Jackson – sen.ed.jackson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1810
Brian Kelsey – sen.brian.kelsey@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3036
Bill Powers – sen.bill.powers@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2374
Ken Yager – sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1449
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#2 Stopping Illegal Aliens From Voting In Tennessee
House Bill 2128 (HB2128), sponsored by Representative John Crawford (R-Bristol/Kingsport-District 1), and Senate Bill 2245 (SB2245), sponsored by Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald-District 28), as introduced, expressly prohibits non-United States citizens from voting in federal, state, or local elections in this state; prohibits local governments from granting non-citizens the right to vote in local elections; prescribes various other mechanisms for ensuring the integrity of elections in this state.
There have been no amendments made to the bill upon publication of this article.
HB2128 passed the House of Representatives with an overwhelming 92-0 vote in favor.
SB2245 has been placed on the Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for Tuesday, March 15th, 2022. You can find the Republican members’ contact information below.
Senate State and Local Government Committee
Richard Briggs (Chair) – sen.richard.briggs@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1766
Todd Gardenhire (1st Vice-Chair) – sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6682
Page Walley (2nd Vice-Chair) – sen.page-walley@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2368
Ed Jackson – sen.ed.jackson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1810
Brian Kelsey – sen.brian.kelsey@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3036
Bill Powers – sen.bill.powers@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2374
Ken Yager – sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1449
#3 Paper Trail / Extra Security For TN Elections
House Bill 2074 (HB2074) sponsored by Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris-District 75), and Senate Bill 2359 (SB2359) sponsored by Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma-District 16), as introduced, requires county election commissions to use only ballot-marking devices or hand-marked ballots and tabulate the ballots using an electronic tabulator or by a hand count; specifies the distance from which a poll watcher may observe the counting and processing of ballots; requires certain security features on paper ballots.
There have been no amendments made to the bill upon publication of this article.
SB2359 has been placed on the Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for Tuesday, March 15th, 2022.
HB2074 has been placed on the House Elections and Campaign Finance Subcommittee calendar for Wednesday, March 16th, 2022.
You can find the Republican members’ contact information below.
Senate State and Local Government Committee
Richard Briggs (Chair) – sen.richard.briggs@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1766
Todd Gardenhire (1st Vice-Chair) – sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6682
Page Walley (2nd Vice-Chair) – sen.page-walley@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2368
Ed Jackson – sen.ed.jackson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1810
Brian Kelsey – sen.brian.kelsey@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3036
Bill Powers – sen.bill.powers@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2374
Ken Yager – sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1449
House Elections and Campaign Finance Subcommittee
Tim Rudd (chair) – rep.tim.rudd@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2804
John Crawford – rep.john.crawford@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7623
John B. Holsclaw, Jr. – rep.john.holsclaw@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7450
Eddie Mannis – rep.eddie.mannis@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2287
Ryan Williams – rep.ryan.williams@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1875
Dave Wright – rep.dave.wright@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6879
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
