KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — More than 14,000 voters across Tennessee received letters dated June 13 asking them to prove their citizenship. Two of those letters were sent to family members of a Knox County Election Commissioner — Julie Gautreau.
She has volunteered for undocumented immigrants and presented on voting rights at the East Tennessee History Center in 2019. She has also served as a criminal defense trial lawyer.
She said in an email to Mark Goins, the state's coordinator of elections, that her husband and stepson received the letters. The letter warned recipients it is illegal for noncitizens to vote in the state's elections and gave voters instructions on updating their information.
Goins said in response that the letters were sent after comparing around 4.6 million voter registration records for data from the Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
"Federal law contains limits on some list maintenance activities within 90 days of a federal election but allows corrections to voter registration records within that timeframe," he said. "As an election official, I am confident you and I agree that we want every eligible Tennessean to register to vote and ultimately cast their vote. It is our shared obligation to ensure the voter rolls are accurate. Each voter needs to have confidence in the integrity of our elections."
Gautreau said she was concerned naturalized U.S. citizens in Knox County may be confused after receiving the same letter. She said Chris Davis, the Knox County Elections Administrator, told her he was aware of the issue after getting a memo from Goins' office on June 20.
She said it was the same day that her family got the letters.
Gautreau said in her email there is a "strong suggestion of wrongdoing, also implicit in the memo." She said it discusses possible criminal penalties her husband and stepson could face if they vote as noncitizens. She said the letter also said voters may be purged if they do not prove they are lawful citizens.
She said her husband and stepson became naturalized citizens in 2016 in Knox County. She said her husband registered to vote the same day because registrars from the Knox County Election Commission were at the naturalization ceremony.
"I wonder how many of those people, who felt so honored by our election commission's goodwill toward them that day, are this weekend opening these warnings of criminal prosecution or disenfranchisement based on the fact that they had lawfully gotten their licenses to drive while they were lawful permanent residents, but not yet citizens? I wonder how many of them will simply not even get the mail, and wind up being unwittingly purged, even though they are lawful citizens and lawful voters in every sense of those terms?" Gautreau said in her email.
Advocates and Democratic lawmakers also said they were alarmed by the letters, saying they could be a form of intimidation, according to The Associated Press. It said Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson was also told that a "respected scientist in Oak Ridge" had also received a letter from the state.
The Associated Press said other leaders encouraged those who received a letter to reach out to the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee for possible legal resources.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.