No Evidence of Voter Fraud in Tennessee: Governor

MURFREESBORO, TN — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam told reporters Wednesday there was "no indication of voter fraud" during the 2016 elections. Earlier Wednesday, the Secretary of State's office reported that there were 42 complaints of illegal voting in the state in the three major 2016 elections in the state.

"I had some conversations with the secretary of state prior to the election and post-election, and the secretary, who I have a lot of confidence in, assures me there was no indication of voter fraud in Tennessee at all," Haslam told reporters after an event at Murfreesboro's Central Middle School Wednesday.

That came after Secretary of State Tre Hargett said there were dozens of cases of potential illegal voting — the most common complaint was voting by convicted felons, with one case of a non-citizen voting — during the March presidential primary, August state primary and November general election. Hargett said all of those cases were turned over to district attorneys-general for investigation and prosecution.

In the waning days of his ultimately successful campaign, Trump ramped up the rhetoric about illegal voting, even alleging the forthcoming election, which he ended up winning, was "rigged" for Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. In mid-October, Hargett said there was no evidence of voter fraud in Tennessee.

Wednesday, the president took to his personal Twitter account and called for an investigation into illegal votes cast in the election he won in November.

Registering to vote in two states is not illegal.

Earlier this week, the president told lawmakers that "3 to 5 million" illegal votes were cast, costing him the popular vote victory. The president offered no evidence or basis for his claim. Press secretary Sean Spicer reiterated that claim, again without proof, at a Wednesday briefing.

The governor said he is curious what proof the president has.

"As a citizen, if there's voter fraud, that should concern everyone," he said. "We can wait and see what that evidence is in Tennessee. I feel really confident about the integrity of our elections."

Image via United States Department of Agriculture