A civil rights group is demanding Tennessee officials extend voting at least through the end of the week after tornadoes devastated the state and led to at least 22 deaths, according to The New York Times. Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a news release Tuesday that “it is critical that all voters be provided a fair and full opportunity to vote.”
“That is not possible for people in those parts of Tennessee that have been devastated by the tornado,” she said. “State officials must act at once to extend the primary election period so that voters and poll-workers can focus on their health and safety as opposed to overcoming obstacles that stand between them and the polls.”
Tennessee is one of 14 states and one territory that are holding primary elections Tuesday. That means one-third of Democratic delegates are there for the taking in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, and the American Samoa territory, NBC News reported. The nonprofit Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law penned a letter to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Tuesday to ask that he consider the rights of his constituents. “Given the devastation and loss of life, we urge you to immediately extend voting in the primaries through at least the end of the week to provide voters a fair opportunity to access the polls,” the organization wrote. “Such an extension would not only allow people to exercise their right to vote, but would also prevent interference with ongoing rescue and remedial activities.”
For the time being, voting is still taking place, although polls opened one hour late and several polling locations were damaged by the storm, according to local station WSMV. Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett said election officials are working "around the state to ensure polls in affected counties are open for the required 10 hours today." "It was a rough night for a lot of Tennesseans, and we have some tough days ahead,” he later added. Hargett also tweeted a link for users to access poll location changes and a toll-free phone number to reach the Division of Elections with questions at 877-850-4959. “You still have time to vote,” Hargett told voters on Twitter.
RELATED: Nashville takes direct hit from tornadoes; at least nine confirmed dead as state prepares to vote
Some Twitter users reached out to Hargett directly to report voting issues, such as Joda Thongnopnua, who reported improper voter purging. “My mother has voted in every election since she’s lived here and found out she was placed on the inactive voter roll,” Thongnopnua tweeted Tuesday. “At my precinct, I saw a voter I know damn well is active—because he voted for me last cycle—realize he was inactive. This purging is irresponsible @sectrehargett.” Hargett responded: "Inactive doesn’t mean you can’t vote. The voter will simply need to confirm their address at the polls. Inactive still equals registered voter."
Some of those valued registered voters aren’t letting any amount of inclement weather deter them from exercising their constitutional rights. Nashville reporter Stephen Elliott reported some 90 people in line at a “new ‘mega’ voting site at the Howard school.” “People in the front said they’ve waited 1.5 hours, but the line has grown,” Elliott reported. “‘Your civic duty doesn’t stop just because of the weather,’ one voter said.”