Last month, Tennessee election officials sent letters to 14,375 registered voters asking for proof of citizenship. The state has now clarified that recipients won't be removed from voting rolls if they don't respond. A follow-up letter was sent to those who didn't reply to the initial correspondence. So far, nearly 3,200 individuals have provided evidence of U.S. citizenship, and over 300 have requested removal from the voter rolls.
The original mailing list was based on data from the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security, which tracks residents' citizenship status. The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation had planned to sue the state over the letters, arguing that voters needed to know they wouldn't lose their registration by ignoring the request.
