Tennessee Lawmakers Clash Over Redistricting Bills in Pivotal...

On Tuesday, May 5, Tennessee’s lawmakers reconvened at the State Capitol for a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly. This marked the beginning of an intensive three-day period focused on pressing legislative matters.

The initial day was dedicated to establishing procedural rules and appointing members to various committees. This foundational work set the stage for the first rounds of committee and floor discussions concerning a select number of bills slated for consideration during the session.

Highlights from Day 1 of Tennessee’s Special Legislative Session

As the session progressed into its second day, the primary focus shifted to the contentious debate surrounding proposals to redraw the state’s congressional map. This effort, if successful, could potentially dissolve Tennessee’s sole Democratic seat in Congress, a move that has ignited significant discussion among legislators.

The unfolding developments promise to reshape Tennessee’s political landscape, and News 2 remains committed to providing timely updates as the session continues.

10:28 a.m.: After a half-hour delay, the Senate State and Local Government Committee began with Chairman Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) reminding audience members not to disrupt proceedings.

Dr. Sekou Franklin spoke out against the bill, saying Memphis-Shelby County was not a district created as a court-order in response to racially discriminatory practices but rather an “organically cohesive” district not touched by the Voting Rights Act and to split the district into three would be “devastating” to the community.

The committee passed SB 7002 in a 6-2-1 vote, with all Republicans minus Briggs voting in the affirmative and both Democrats voting no. Briggs passed on the vote.

During discussion of SB 7001, which would suspend residency requirements for the 2026 election and allow for a new qualifying deadline of May 15 in the August election, former West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, who compared the change in qualifying deadline to that of a sports team defense.

“It’s like going from man-to-man coverage to zone,” she told the committee, noting the sheer number of tasks elections administrators across the state would have to do in order to meet the new, compressed timeline.

“Voters need and deserve consistency, transparency, and accessibility in elections,” she said, asking the committee not to hurt their voters by passing redistricting.

Tennant also read from a letter Tennessee Elections Coordinator Mark Goins previously sent to all counties outlining all the tasks elections officers would be required to complete and calling it “not fair to administrators” and “thus it’s not fair to voters” to change the rules so quickly.

“I’ve often said that voter confusion is voter suppression,” Tennant added.

9:15 a.m.: Tennessee Republicans have now released the proposed new congressional district map, which splits Shelby County into three separate districts and all but assuring it flips from blue to red in the next election.

8:53 a.m.: The Tennessee Senate kicked things off on more procedural moves, getting all bills and resolutions filed passed on second consideration and assigned to their respective standing committees.

The House is set to begin their floor session at 9 a.m.

What you need to know about TN’s Special Session

Lawmakers were called back to Nashville by Gov. Bill Lee starting Tuesday, May 5, for an extraordinary session of the legislature to “review [the] congressional map.”

The renewed focus comes after a Supreme Court decision involving Louisiana’s congressional map. That ruling has prompted questions about whether Tennessee’s lines could face similar scrutiny.

Tennessee State Senate Republicans immediately issued a statement in support of the call, with Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R- Oak Ridge) saying the state was “in a historic moment that demands bold action.”

Tennessee Senate Democratic Chairwoman London Lamar (D-Memphis) called the effort “a political power grab” and “voter suppression in real time,” as well as “an attack on Memphis Black voters” at a press conference held at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis on Friday afternoon.

Lawmakers officially filed bills to redraw the state’s congressional map during the three-day session. One bill filed, from House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) would reverse the current congressional district map that split Davidson County into three majority-Republican districts in 2022 and put it back into a single district.

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Tennessee Lawmakers Clash Over Redistricting Bills in Pivotal Special Session

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