Gicola Lane

Our democracy works best when everyone is included. Yet for many Tennesseans with past felony convictions, restoring their freedom to vote has long been a complicated and often inaccessible process. A combination of legal requirements and administrative hurdles make it difficult — if not impossible — for individuals with previous felony convictions to navigate the system and fully participate in elections.

All eyes are on Tennessee this week following the expulsion of two democratically-elected state house members, representing approximately 130,000 Tennesseans in Nashville and Memphis, the state’s most diverse cities. Both the ousted legislators are young, Black men. The move raises serious concerns about the Legislature’s racial motivations and respect for free speech.

On Bloody Sunday, televised violence against civil rights activists in Selma, Alabama caused a national outcry and mobilized Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. Fifty-eight years later, the State still has a long way to go to ensure Black Alabamians have equal access to the ballot box. For decades, the Voting Rights Act served as a powerful tool against race-based voter suppression, but it did not guard against one very effective Jim Crow-era tactic: felony disenfranchisement.