Welcome to the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) website! ACLU-TN is the only organization in the state dedicated to promoting and protecting constitutional rights. Our goal is to translate the Bill of Rights into an everyday reality for all Tennesseans.

SPOTLIGHT ISSUE: ACLU-TN Files Groundbreaking Lawsuit To Protect Retirees’ Voting Rights

BREAKING NEWS: We have just learned that the judge dismissed this case. We are currently considering our options.

Seniors Living Full-time in Recreational Vehicles Purged From Voting Rolls

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) filed a lawsuit on behalf of senior citizens, living full-time in their recreational vehicles, who were purged from Tennessee voting rolls because they registered to vote using the street address of a commercial mail forwarding service.

According to the lawsuit, Teel v. Darnell, the plaintiffs were purged from Bradley County voting rolls after passage of a 2005 state law that said commercial addresses could not be used for voting purposes.  An ACLU-TN Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request revealed that over 250 people, including the plaintiffs, have lost their right to vote in Bradley County, Tennessee. 

ACLU-TN plaintiffs are described as retirees from military and government service who currently live in their recreational vehicles while traveling throughout the country. They consider Tennessee their home, return periodically, and intend to return full-time when they stop traveling. They use a commercial mail forwarding service as their Tennessee address.

Over the past 18 months, plaintiffs tried unsuccessfully to restore their voting rights. After repeated attempts to resolve the situation failed, plaintiffs requested that ACLU-TN intervene. The ACLU-TN-sponsored lawsuit alleges that the plaintiffs have been and continue to be denied their fundamental right to vote in violation of the United States and Tennessee Constitutions.  ACLU-TN is asking the Court to declare the law unconstitutional and to ensure that the plaintiffs are allowed to vote in Tennessee.

Additional Information About Teel v. Darnell

View the complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

View the press release about this case.

View the AP article "RVers Are Blocked From Voting."

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 8, 2008: Show the Metro Nashville School Board your support for a comprehensive non-discrimination policy

April 8, 2008: Re-entry and Restoration of Voting Rights: Dismantling Felon Disenfranchisement Laws in Tennessee

 

LATEST NEWS

April 14, 2008: Voice Your Opinion on Several Pending Civil Liberties/Civil Rights Bills!

April 14, 2008: Support the Racial Profiling Prevention Act (SB3459/HB4001)

April 7, 2008: Bill Banning Unmarried Adoption Up in Senate Judiciary Committee - Urge Senators to Vote NO on SB3910

April 7, 2008 - Nashville High School Students and Child Welfare Organizations Ask for Comprehensive Non-Discrimination Policy

April 3, 2008: SJR127 Back Again - Attack on Reproductive Freedom - Call you House Representative NOW to vote NO on pulling SJR127 to House Floor

April 1, 2008: Oppose SB2653/HB2858 - Attack on Students' Privacy Rights

March 14, 2008: Tennessee High School Senior is Among 15 Winners of ACLU College Scholarship for Youth Activism

March 8, 2008 - Event: Youth in Action: Know Your Rights, Make Some Change - Students' Rights Conference

March 4, 2008 - Event: In the Best Interests of the Child: Adoption in Tennessee

February 25, 2008: ACLU Sues Over Tennessee's Felon Disenfranchisement Law

October 14, 2007: Politics, Religion and Death: ACLU of Kentucky Board Member Discusses Death Penalty at the Southern Festival of Books

October 10, 2007: Moving Nashville Forward: Why Inclusivity and Opportunity are Essential to Music City's Future

October 4, 2007: “The Future of LGBT Rights in Tennessee: Organizing, Educating and Litigating”

April 23, 2007: Support Repeal of REAL ID Act - Urge your State Senator to Support SJR248 - contact today

April 10, 2007: ACLU Appoints Gay Rights Attorney to Work in the South

April 9, 2007: Oppose Attacks on Students’ Right to Freedom of Association and Privacy

April 5, 2007: ACLU-TN Urges Metro Nashville School Board To Vote NO on Proposed School Dress Code Policy
ACLU-TN's Letter to Metro Nashville School Board

March 6, 2007: Oppose Parental Consent to Join School Clubs

March 2, 2007: Contact your State Senator to Vote NO on SB201 - Prohibiting Translation of Drivers License Exams

February 12, 2007: ACLU-TN Applauds Mayor Purcell's Veto on English-Only Ordinance

February 6, 2007: ACLU-TN to Expand Efforts to Restore Voting Rights to Former Felons

September 7, 2006: ACLU-TN Fights for Religious Freedom in Wilson County School System

August 16, 2006: ACLU-TN Announces "Get Your Right to Vote Back" Town Hall Meeting in Chattanooga on Monday, August 21 (24 KB)

August 10, 2006: ACLU-TN Announces "Get Your Right to Vote Back" Town Hall Meeting in Memphis on Tuesday, August 15 (25 KB)

August 4, 2006: ACLU-TN Kicks Off "Get Your Right to Vote Back" Town Hall Meetings Across State (23 KB)