Tennessee bill untangling gun and voting rights restoration advances, but faces uncertain odds

By JONATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee is advancing a bipartisan bill to allow people convicted of felonies to apply to vote again without getting gun rights restored. The bipartisan effort to untangle the two rights has cleared early hurdles but several remain. The bill faces some GOP skepticism in the session’s expected final weeks. The proposal seeks to peel back restrictions established in July. Election officials interpreted a court ruling as requiring people convicted of felonies to get their full citizenship rights restored by a judge or show they were pardoned to seek restored voting rights. In January, the elections office confirmed that gun rights were among the prerequisites.