Former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe Files New Lawsuit to Combat Voter Intimidation

Former Mayor of Knoxville Victor Ashé, voter Phil Lawson and members of the League of Women Voters of Tennessee re-filed their federal primary election lawsuit to fix some legal technicalities. Their mission remains the same: to ensure that all Tennessee voters can vote in the primaries for any party without fear of reprisal.

The group claims that signs at primary election polling places telling voters they must be “bona fide” members of a political party are intended to intimidate them. A new law does not outline how voters can prove they belong to the party.

The original lawsuit was filed days before the March 5 primary. Judge Eli Richardson wrote in the March 4 dismissal that the plaintiffs failed to prove the law confused voters or suppressed turnout.

This time, the plaintiffs are joined by voters who say they were harmed by the law.

Gabe Hart, who lives in Jackson, said in a news release that he was personally targeted after voting on Super Tuesday.

“My local prosecutor told me directly that I should worry about being prosecuted. I was called a criminal by a local elected official, and on the other hand, I was worried about voting and speaking my mind because of this law,” Hart said. “My hope is that as a result of this process, no other Tennessean will have to go through what I have already gone through and we can all vote freely and without fear of reprisal.”

Does your experience align with what Ashe worried this could happen after the original lawsuit was rejected. He told Knox News he thought the signs would prevent voters from going to the polls to publicly declare their party, which they must do to receive a vote.

A law approved in 2023 requires polling places to have signs saying it is illegal to vote in partisan primary elections without being a “bona fide” member of that political party. But the law does not define what “good faith” means.

Tennessee’s primary elections are open, meaning any voter can choose any vote at the polls. Voters can select ballots from different parties in different election years.

Knox County Elections Administrator Chris Davis told Knox News in March that in order for a voter to be investigated for party affiliation, three election officials would have to agree, before the voter casts a vote, that the person is not a member “of good faith” of that party. Election officials are a mix of Republicans and Democrats, and Davis said it would be difficult for workers to agree on a conclusion.

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.

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This article originally appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee voter intimidation lawsuit targets primary election law