Announcing its support for the class action lawsuit filed by former congressman Lincoln Davis, naming as defendants Governor Bill Haslam, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Tennessee of Coordinator of Elections Marty Goins, the Hamilton County Democratic Party called on the Hamilton County Election Commission to join the lawsuit, and also to release the names of voters who have been purged from voter rolls since Mr. Goins’ appointment on Feb. 11, 2009. “As of Dec. 1, 2011, approximately 8,000 voters had been purged from the rolls in Hamilton County, just according to the six-month report included in the lawsuit,” said Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Paul Smith. “That is far more than would be needed to decide an election. We have the right to know who was purged, why, their party affiliation, their gender and their race. If the election commission is truly fair and unbiased, it will join the lawsuit and release this information to the public.”
The former congressman, who said he was improperly turned away from the polls on March 6, filed the lawsuit contending that Tennessee’s system for purging voters violates both state and federal laws. “Along with the drive to deny many groups access to their voting rights, this system of purging is calculated to tilt elections,” Mr. Smith said.
Full Article: Democratic Party Says Election Commission Should Reveal Names Of Purged Voters – 03/12/2012 – Chattanoogan.com.