TENNESSEE: Organizing Led to Smooth Election Day in Nashville

Our partner, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition sent us this update on how their organizing to get voters to the polls early helped Election Day go smoothly in Nashville.

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and the Our Voice, Our Vote campaign strongly encouraged immigrant voters to participate in Tennessee's Early Voting, and the efforts paid off! Phone bankers, canvassers, and poll monitors discovered today that much of Nashville's immigrant population voted before November 4^th, many of them citing the early voting mailings, phone calls, and Community Voting Days held by the campaign as reasons for their decision. These far-reaching, coordinated efforts happened only because of the participation of a variety of community groups, ranging from Asociación Latina to the Sudanese Center of Nashville.

Community groups also collaborated to make sure that all voters had a ride to the polls. The Our Voice, Our Vote campaign partnered with the Nashville Metro Taxi Drivers Association (many of whose members are also immigrants) and community volunteers to provide free rides both during Early Voting and on Election Day.

The result of this community-wide organization was that today went relatively smoothly! Lines were long only in the morning at most polling places, and few voters experienced Election Day difficulties. There have been a few reported cases of translation services being denied to voters, but widespread voter suppression has not been indicated.