Blogs

Following each Census, each legislative body in Tennessee must redraw their districts so that each district has roughly the same population.  This process is generally referred to as Redistricting.
The Election Commission plays no role in drawing the new district lines.  Drawing the lines is strictly the responsibility of the Legislature, County Commission, and City Councils.  Once those bodies have determined where their lines are, the Election Commission takes over and adjusts precinct lines as needed and notifies voters whose precincts have changed. 

The Election Commission is considered an essential service, so we are able to issue and accept petitions at both locations.  However, we urge citizens who do not need to file petitions to stay home and use our online services at GoVoteTN.com.  In order to make sure that our employees stay safe, we have cut our staffing to the minimum. 

Election Day is Tuesday, March 3, 2020.  The polls will be open from 7am until 7pm.   On Election Day, unlike early voting, you must vote in your home precinct.
 
Please be aware all the candidates listed on your ballot are not still in the race for president. In Tennessee, the ballot was set in December, so anyone who had declared candidacy was included.
 

On February 14th, County Mayor Lee Harris, along with other local dignitaries, gathered on Nixon Drive for a special occasion. The Ops Center is now known as the O.C. Pleasant Operations Center, in honor of  the longest serving commissioner in the Election Commission’s history, O.C. Pleasant, Jr.

Due to the overwhelming number of registration applications we received right before the voter registration deadline, processing on some of the applications have not been fully completed. If you registered to vote and have not gotten a voter registration card or a notice, you will be able to vote, as long as you are not a convicted felon.
We STRONGLY urge you to VOTE EARLY. Our poll workers are ready to help you with correcting any errors on your application and completing your registration, and you can go to a machine to vote.
 

With the Midterm Elections upon us, we are in full-on election mode. The ballot is being finalized and will be approved at the Commission Meeting on September 18th.

We do not allow voters to use a paper ballot on demand.  So, if people come into a polling place and demand a paper ballot, they will be denied this request.  Paper ballots are only used in very special circumstances.
The Shelby County Election Commission (SCEC), as authorized by the Tennessee Code, requires that we use machines to vote.  In 1958, the SCEC decided that Shelby County could no longer handle processing the volume of paper ballots generated when people voted on them.  Since that time,  in-person voting in Shelby County has been on machines.

We’ve had some questions from voters who aren’t able to see the whole ballot on their summary screens.  If you selected a primary ballot or chose the large type option, the ballot summary will be too long to fit on one screen. It’s something many people have experienced.

The county primaries are behind us and the election results were certified on May 15th.  After that, we began working to put things in order in anticipation of the August County General and State Primary Elections. The military and overseas ballots went out on June 18th. As I said in the last newsletter, that’s the official beginning of the election cycle. In this issue, you will see more about what is involved in preparing for the polls to open. It involves a lot more than most people realize.

In less than two months, the Shelby County Primary Election will be held.

At the February monthly meeting of the Shelby County Election Commission, the commissioners certified the candidates that will appear on the May 1st ballot. Shortly after that the official ballot was built, and once ready, it was mailed to all residents serving overseas in the military who requested an absentee ballot.