The Vote By Mail for Tennessee campaign got two big boosts today!

The first came from the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR), which recommended that the state "consider making early voting and voting by mail more accessible" and that the state "consider a Vote By Mail pilot program."

The second came from Brook Thompson, director of the Tennessee Division of Elections, who told us after the meeting that he would be open to setting up a trial of the program. Thompson's support and the TACIR report were two big steps toward bringing Vote By Mail to Tennessee, but there's still lots of work to be done yet.

We're hoping to get legislation yet this session that would enable the trials. If we're unsuccessful, it goes on the agenda for next session.

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On Easter weekend, close to 80 progressives from Memphis to Knoxville and all points in between attended Democracy for Tennessee’s Convention ’07 in Nashville throughout the day on Saturday.

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I'm pleased to say that the Green Tennessee (GT) Campaign is off and running with a great start! First of all, a huge thanks to everyone who attended the workshop and campaign launch: You all made the workshop a big success and a real pleasure to host. The diversity of ages and backgrounds represented was quite heartening, and exactly what I think is needed to get the kind of legislation enacted we want in order to protect our environment. So again, to everyone there, thank you!

After presenting a brief overview of the GT campaign, I handed things off to Seannalyn Brandmeir, presenter for the Climate Project. She provided an excellent overview of the goals and structure of Climate Project presentations, leading us through many great examples and explaining how the presentation builds its argument from start to finish. Next, Jeff Barrie, filmmaker and creator of Kilowatt Ours explained why he made the film, and how the Kilowatt Ours film and project seeks to show people how they can practically and dramatically reduce their energy usage without nearly as much effort or sacrifice as one might think.

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On March 22, I made a presentation on Vote by Mail to the Joint Study Committee on Voter Confidence, a subcommittee of the State & Local Government Committee. This committee is composed of six state Senators and six Representatives and is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Their task is to look at the proposed bills dealing with voting issues and to recommend those bills that they feel should go forward to the full committee for consideration.

To read the rest of this story, visit the Vote By Mail for Tennessee website.

WHAT IS VOTE BY MAIL?

Malfunctioning machines. Confused voters who can't read the complex ballot. Computer code that is kept secret by private corporations. Whole elections with no verifiable paper trail. Long lines and voter suppression tactics on election day.

It hasn't yet been getting much play, but there is a proven process to address all of these problems. That's right - a proven process. One that's been working in parts of the United States for over 20 years. The process is called Vote By Mail, or "VBM", and Democracy for Tennessee is getting ready to put its resources behind bringing this system to our state.
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Democracy for Tennessee officially launched its Vote By Mail for Tennessee campaign this weekend when Democracy for Cumberland County sponsored the first Vote By Mail Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, January 20, in Crossville. Carol Kemp, Chair of DFCC, and DFCC members warmly welcomed the approximately 50 attendees from across the community who braved Saturday’s cold to attend the group's first meeting of the new year.

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“A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures – and that is the basic of all human morality.”
- John F. Kennedy

Democracy for Tennessee supports the following legislative initiatives at the state level and locally where applicable. We also support candidates that support these initiatives and will consider assisting candidates that pledge to advance our Agenda for Progress.

Local Taxation Authority.

Per the September 19 issue of the Tennessee Journal, a report surfaced that Speaker Naifeh will “personally sponsor a bill to increase the power of local governments to impose and raise taxes and fees”. The purpose of this is to get the state legislature “out of the business of local taxation”. For multiple reasons, including the need for local governments to adequately fund the services their constituents deserve and to shield Democrats from ludicrous claims of “voting to raise taxes 25 times” during campaigns, candidates should fully endorse and advocate for Speaker Naifeh’s bill. If state legislators do not plan to reform Tennessee’ s regressive tax system through an income tax, then they should at least allow the local governments who do care about quality municipal services to fund them themselves if they so choose. We believe that Naifeh’s bill will enjoy broad support from local governments and municipalities as they wrestle with both growth and dwindling tax revenue from both the state and the Feds. Attacks from anti-tax radicals can easily be turned back by reminding them that it will be local governments and voters who will now be allowed to make these decisions themselves.

On a beautiful, sunny March 18, close to 100 citizens from across Tennessee gathered at the Palace Theater in Crossville to attend our Healthcare Town Hall Meeting.

The goals of this Town Hall were to provide education, to hear from healthcare professionals and political candidates, and most importantly to give citizens a voice to express their concerns about America's healthcare crisis.

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On January 27, Democracy for Tennessee activists from all across the state came to Nashville to meet with Governor Bredesen to propose a progressive policy agenda that we would like to see be taken up in the next legislative session.

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At its meeting yesterday, the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) recommended that the Legislature grant expanded taxing authority to county and city governments, a move that could signal movement towards a form of progressive taxation in Tennessee.

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