Tennessee Governor signs bill requiring watermarks on all absentee ballots

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a new election bill requiring watermarks on all absentee ballots.

The state’s legislature passed Senate Bill 1314, known as the Tennessee Election Integrity Act, nearly unanimously. SB 1314 passed 27-0 in the Senate and 92-1 in the House. Unlike fellow Democrat party members, Representative Antonio Parkinson of Memphis said, “Democrats are for secure elections. Don’t get it twisted.” According to lawmakers, there are five absentee ballot vendors who are all able to produce watermarks. Representative Bruce Griffey of Paris estimated the cost of watermarking to be $105 per election commission. Griffey said, “This bill is to ensure that absentee ballots that go out have an additional security measure.”

Initially, the bill included efforts to prevent “dark money” from entering elections. The new version only concerns absentee ballots. 

States including Texas, Florida, and Kansas have recently passed new election and voting legislation. The bills are in response to claims of election fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election. Lawmakers are taking efforts to regain constituents’ trust through limits to mail-in voting and ballot counting. 

ARTICLE: ANTOINETTE AHO

POLITICS EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: MAIN STREET NASHVILLE

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