Tennessee Secretary of State: Court ruling on proof of citizenship doesn't affect state's election laws

NASHVILLE - Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett said a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling concerning Arizona's law requiring proof of citizenship for people registering to vote does not impact Tennessee's election laws.

The justices' 7-2 ruling on Monday complicates efforts in Arizona and other states to bar voting by people who are in the country illegally. Hargett said in a news release on Thursday that Tennessee doesn't require that proof when registering to vote, but the voter must swear that he or she is a citizen.

The state passed a law about two years ago that allows state election officials to purge noncitizen residents from election rolls. Anyone listed as a noncitizen and registered to vote has 30 days to present proof of citizenship or be purged from the rolls.

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