New lawsuit renews challenge to Tennessee laws targeting crossover voting in primary elections

By TRAVIS LOLLER
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A group of Tennesseans who say they were intimidated into not voting in a primary election or were threatened with prosecution after they did vote have filed a challenge to two state laws that require primary voters to be “bona fide” members of the party they vote for. The laws are intended to discourage so-called crossover voting, where members of one party vote in another party’s primary in order to interfere. The lawsuit claims they actually intimidate otherwise legitimate voters from exercising their constitutional rights. Tennessee voters do not register by party, and the laws do not define what it means to be a bona fide party member.