NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has ruled that Tennessee officials are not in contempt of court because they are enforcing a law barring many first-time voters from casting absentee ballots.
That law requires voters who register by mail to appear in person during their first election.
In June, the court ruled that all eligible voters can vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the pesiding judge wrote Tuesday that the American Civil Liberties Union and others that sued for the absentee expansion didn’t explicitly ask for the separate, first-election law to be blocked.
The judge did allow the group's request to amend her expansion order, but cautioned not to interpret that as her decision on eligibility.
