Tennessee
Tennessee won't purge voter rolls of people who disregard a letter asking them to prove citizenship
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee election officials who sent letters last month to 14,375 registered voters asking them for proof of citizenship now say the recipients won’t be kicked off voting rolls if they don’t respond. The state clarified the position in a follow-up letter to all those didn’t respond to the first correspondence. Nearly 3,200 have provided evidence of U.S. citizenship, and more than 300 have requested to be removed from the voter rolls, according to the state elections office. Those on the original mailing list were chosen based on data from the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security, which has information about whether residents were U.S. citizens when they first interacted with that department.
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation informed the state late last month of plans to sue in response to the letters and argued that election officials had to tell voters they wouldn’t lose their voter registration by ignoring the request for proof of citizenship. On Tuesday, the state confirmed officials sent a follow up letter designed to clear up any confusion, and blamed any misunderstandings on outside groups like the ACLU.
“The June 13 letter gave people the option to update their records,” Elections Coordinator Mark Goins wrote. “It did not threaten to remove a person from the voter list if a person does not respond to the June 13 letter. No one will be removed from a voting list for not responding to the June 13 letter.”
Tennessee’s secretary of state office has declined to release the names of people who received the June 13 letters, citing privacy exemptions. However, the office did provide recipients’ zip codes.
More than 1,200 letters were sent to zip code 37013, an area that encompasses Antioch, a south Nashville neighborhood with strong Black and brown populations. No other zip code received as many letters. The second highest area was also in south Nashville, which received 645 of the letters.
Seven went to individuals out of state.
The ACLU has argued that Tennessee’s actions violated the National Voter Registration Act, the Voting Rights Act and the 14th and 15th amendments. The organization alleges election officials created a list that illegally targeted “naturalized citizens in a discriminatory manner.”
The ACLU, representing 11 advocacy organizations, argued the state’s letters amounted to voter intimidation.
The June 13 letter warned voters it is illegal in Tennessee for noncitizens to vote and provided instructions on how to update voter information. It also said illegal voting is a felony and carries penalties of up to two years in prison.
Advocates have said the letters likely reached many immigrants who became naturalized citizens after they got their driver’s license or ID card through the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Tennessee driver’s licenses are renewed every eight years, potentially creating a long gap in time during which the state driver’s license agency may not be updated about a resident’s citizenship status.
The idea of widespread voting by noncitizens has spread through former President and current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric. The Republican-controlled U.S. House recently passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration, despite research showing noncitizens illegally registering to vote or and casting ballots in federal elections is rare.
William Helou, an outside attorney representing the Tennessee secretary of state’s office, said the state’s original June 13 letters didn’t threaten to remove anyone from the voter rolls and didn’t violate federal law or constitutional rights. Rather, he called the letters “an appropriate action to fulfill (the election coordinator’s) obligations to ensure the integrity of elections in Tennessee.”
In the follow up letter to voters sent Tuesday, the state said naturalized citizens and other eligible voters are encouraged to vote.
Democrats have opposed the letters seeking proof of citizenship, noting that Tennessee remains among the lowest-ranked states in the U.S. for voter turnout.
The Associated Press sent an email to the ACLU Wednesday asking whether it may still file a legal challenge to the state’s correspondence.
Tennessee
Tennessee AMC theater worker, 85, receives $146K from strangers for retirement after viral video
A viral Tennessee movie theater worker, 85, was surprised with $146K as strangers rallied together to help her “enjoy retirement.”
Mary Ellen Eron was seen hauling a heavy black garbage bag and pushing a cleaning cart during her shift at the theater in Maryville, Tenn., which has since been viewed more than 13 million times.
“Let’s secretly help retire this beautiful woman. No one deserves to work at this age,” movie customer Brooklyn Green, who filmed the video, captioned the post.
Green launched a fundraiser last weekend after watching Mary, who has been a movie theater staffer for 45 years, hard at work – even though she’s a stranger.
“I knew nothing about her. I didn’t even know her name when I went to the theater,” Green told WATE reported. “I just decided that she was working so hard, and I aspired to be like her one day.
“Her physical appearance didn’t look too comfortable, especially since the way she was working so hard.”
Green set a target of $200,000 – and she raised $146,317 before pausing donations. More than 7,500 people donated to the charitable cause.
On Wednesday, Green posted the moment that she presented Eron, who helps the homeless and her local church, with the total figures from the crowdfunding page.
“Oh my goodness. That’s a lot of money,” Eron said as she realized the number on the piece of paper.
“That’s a lot of money and you deserve every bit of it,” Green said.
The clip also featured a message from Eron, who addressed the people who had contributed.
“Thank you so very much to all the wonderful people that have donated money to the GoFundMe,” she said.
“I’m overwhelmed and certainly blessed by the Lord and you wonderful people. Thank you once more.”
The theater’s manager revealed it will be Eron’s decision when she retires.
The Tennessee Volunteers have had their fair share of bad news as of late when it comes to the college baseball transfer portal, but luckily, they have received some great news.
The great news that they have received is that they will be returning one of their breakout stars from this past college baseball season, as he has no intentions of entering the college baseball transfer portal.
Trent Grindlinger Will Return to Tennessee
The player who is set to return to Tennessee is Trent Grindlinger, who was electric this season and is expected to be a future top 10 MLB draft pick. This is expected for the first draft that he is eligible for, which is the 2027 MLB Draft rather than this upcoming draft that will feature multiple Vols, including Tennessee ACE, Tegan Kuhns.
Grindlinger finished last season with a batting average of .345, while hitting eight home runs and only striking out 28 times. This would be an electric season for the talented Volunteers’ batter, and he is set for a season that could and should be even better than that, which would be good enough to consider for some major college baseball end-of-the-season awards. He is just one of the few players who opted to stay and return rather than enter their name into the college baseball transfer portal, but if they were going to return anyone, he is the player they would want to return in the field.
Had he entered the transfer portal, there wouldn’t be a single college in the nation that wouldn’t want to add him, as every college would want to add the elite prospect. Not only that, but he would become the nation’s No. 1 player on the portal more than likely.
Luckily for the Vols, though, they don’t have to worry about that.
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Tennessee
Franklin police ticket 13-year-old after e-bike crash, and a new Tennessee law brings more changes July 1
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Franklin police cited a 13-year-old following a crash involving a motorized bike, and a new Tennessee law taking effect July 1 will bring additional restrictions for young riders.
On April 21, Franklin officers responded to a fender bender at the Interstate 65 off-ramp at the Goose Creek Bypass involving a 13-year-old on a motorized bike and a vehicle. Both the teen and the adult driver were waiting for officers when they arrived. The woman behind the wheel was visibly shaken and told officers the bike came out of nowhere while she was attempting to turn right on red.
The bike turned out to be more powerful than a standard e-bicycle. Under the law, it is not considered a bicycle at all — it is classified as a motor scooter, which falls under different laws than Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes.
“Downside is kids are about to get a bunch of tickets. He can’t ride that e-bike because it’s not just an e-bike — too much voltage, it’s a motor scooter,” Officer Spry with the Franklin Traffic Unit said.
“He can’t be on a sidewalk, he has to be in a bike lane, and it can’t be more than 28 miles an hour,” Spry said.
The driver of the car was cited for failure to exercise due care. The 13-year-old was cited for several violations, including not having a driver’s license, insurance, or registration. Franklin police say the citations issued to the teen are all appropriate under current law. Officers told the teen’s parent the citations would need to be answered in juvenile court. The family promised to trade the bike in for something safer.
Spry made clear this is not an isolated case.
“You’re not the only one that I’ve written this ticket to,” Spry said.
“This is probably one of the greatest opportunities for us to provide safety and save a life that we’ll ever see,” Franklin Alderman Greg Caesar said.
Starting July 1, only those 16 years and older will be legally allowed to ride Class 3 e-bikes, which can reach speeds of 28 miles per hour. The new law changes the age of those allowed to operate Class 3 e-bikes and does not affect the motor scooter classification that applied in this case.
Franklin city leaders are debating changes to local e-bike laws. Alderman Greg Caesar described it as a nuanced problem but said educating parents should start now.
“It needs to be considered, as some of these e-bikes and riders can do real and significant damage,” Caesar said.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Students help relaunch donation drive for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Young or old, we all love to play board and card games! Those games become even more important when you are indoors and don’t have the ability to get outside, like patients in a hospital. Austin Pollack shares the story of students in a Nashville family who have helped re-launch the Red Wagon project to collect games for patients at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
– Lelan Statom
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