The wife of singer-songwriter John Prine, who died from complications of COVID-19, urged lawmakers Tuesday to expand absentee voting so Tennesseans would not have to put their health at risk to exercise their right to vote.
Fiona Whelan Prine, who also contracted the coronavirus and has since recovered, told a Senate panel that allowing more people to cast an absentee ballot is critical in ensuring that people would remain safe and healthy during the 2020 election. “This is not nor should it be a partisan issue,” said Whelan Prine, who spoke over a video livestream and did not attend in person. “This is a serious health issue.