TN’S coronavirus voting plan ‘pitiful,’ US senator says
Secretary of State Tre Hargett on Wednesday spoke before a U.S. Senate committee regarding Tennessee’s preparations for upcoming elections, a hearing that became heated as multiple members grilled him on the state’s resistance to expanding absentee voting due to the coronavirus.
Hargett, who appeared by video before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, discussed Tennessee’s use of federal COVID-19 relief funds to cover the costs of necessary measures to make in-person voting safer this August and November, as well as buying additional ballot-scanning equipment and absentee envelopes.
He reported that after traveling to 10 Tennessee counties last weekend after early voting began Friday ahead of the Aug. 6 primary, Hargett observed that voters and poll workers all appeared to be following new protocols put in place by the state.
“Without fail, every person said, ‘I feel very safe coming to vote,’ ” Hargett said.
But later in the hearing, multiple senators pushed back on Tennessee’s ongoing fight against a state judge’s order last month that Tennessee must expand mail voting due to the threat of contracting coronavirus at the voting booth.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-minnesota, asked Hargett why the state was continuing to appeal the lawsuit.
Current state law requires a voter to list one of 14 excuses to receive an absentee ballot, such as traveling or being over the age of 60, though fear due to the pandemic did not meet those requirements. The Tennessee Supreme Court is currently weighing the state’s appeal to that ruling.
Hargett maintained that Tennessee does not view fear of the coronavirus as an excuse for being unable to vote in person, noting that both chambers of the state legislature twice this year — in March and June — declined to approve expanding absentee voting.
Sen. Angus King, I-maine, said Hargett’s response was “pitiful.”
“Mr. Hargett, I’m sort of astounded by your testimony,” King said in response to Hargett answering a separate question about why Tennessee also doesn’t allow absentee voters to turn in their ballots in official drop-off boxes.
“By the way, your state is No. 11 in the country in cases per 100,000 people,” King continued, though not citing which data he was referencing. “I don’t know why you’d need an excuse to vote.”
In Tennessee, absentee voters must return their ballots by mail, something Hargett earlier in the hearing noted could be problematic and cause ballots to come in late since state officials “have no control over the operation of the United States Postal Service.”
Hargett said it was a “security measure” to require voters to mail back their ballots through the Postal Service.
Kristen Clarke, the president and executive director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, testified that her organization had not received any complaints about issues with drop-off boxes for mail ballots.
Tennessee’s Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander in the hearing said he had already submitted his absentee ballot for the primary. Earlier in the meeting, he praised Hargett for being “one of the very best” secretaries of state in Tennessee history.
“I was honored to be asked to testify, and I appreciated the opportunity to highlight how state and local election officials in Tennessee have prepared to conduct elections during this pandemic,” Hargett said in a statement after the committee hearing. “We will continue to ensure Tennesseans have access to inperson voting as well as the ability to cast an absentee ballot in compliance with the court order and Tennessee law.”
Shanna Hughey, president of Thinktennessee, a nonpartisan, liberal-leaning think tank, said afterward she was pleased that Tennessee was part of a national conversation about upcoming elections.
“And we heard today that many voters at our state’s early vote locations reported having a positive experience, which is a testament to our hardworking local election officials,” Hughey said. “Our concern is for those voters who don’t feel comfortable casting their ballots in person, who could lose their ability to vote absentee this year if the state’s court appeal is successful.”
Hughey noted that during the last presidential election, Tennessee ranked 49th nationwide in voter turnout.
Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.