Vote.org releases statement on actions in the Tennessee legislature on April 6.

WASHINGTON – Vote.org, the largest 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan voting registration and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) technology platform in America, released the following statement on actions in the Tennessee legislature on April 6.

“Last night, the Tennessee House of Representatives subverted the will of the voters and jumped at the chance to expel members of the minority party,” said Andrea Hailey, CEO of Vote.org. “Often, when democracy is threatened, it’s not done through outright actions but rather through small, bureaucratic chips in the foundation of our nation’s promise. Usually, it’s done hidden from view. But this week, the eyes of the nation were on Tennessee, and we saw how far some elected officials were willing to go to fight for power rather than democracy. It’s not lost on me that the two expelled members are young Black men, while their brave white colleague who joined them in protest, survived her expulsion vote. As we saw in Wisconsin earlier this week, voters are firmly against anti-democratic leaders. I know that many Tennesseans — and indeed many Americans — watched Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson be removed from office. May those viewers yesterday be the voices that push for democracy tomorrow.”