Election Day in Shelby County is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and early voting is already open. Here's the fast version of everything on your ballot.
Last updated October 2026.
🗳️ Good to know before you vote
Early voting: Now through Thursday, Oct. 29, at any of 26 sites in the county. Open Monday–Saturday (closed Sundays). Most sites run 11 AM to 7 PM on weekdays. Saturday, Oct. 24 runs 8 AM to 4 PM.
Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 AM to 7 PM. On Election Day you must vote at your assigned polling place.
What to bring: A Tennessee or federal photo ID, like a driver's license or passport. Expired IDs count. College and city or county IDs don't.
Voting absentee? The last day to request a ballot is Saturday, Oct. 24. It has to arrive by mail by 7 PM on Nov. 3 — no dropping it off in person, and ballots that arrive late don't count.
Too late to register: The deadline was Oct. 5.
How many people already voted: 33,205 Shelby Countians voted in the first three days — about 15,400 more than the same stretch of the 2022 midterm.
🗺️ Heads up: your district may have changed
The state redrew Tennessee's congressional map in May. Memphis used to sit mostly in one district. Now Shelby County is split among three: Districts 5, 8 and 9. Use the lookup link above to see which one you're in.
Also: there are no county offices and no City of Memphis offices on this ballot. Those were decided earlier this year.
🏛️ On every ballot in the county
Governor — Gov. Bill Lee is term-limited, so Tennessee picks a new governor.
Republican: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn
Democrat: Memphis City Council member Jerri Green
Plus 13 independents: Misam Abidi, Dean Brewer, Ray Brown, David Hatley, Wendell Jackson, Charles Van Morgan, Eddie Lee Murphy, Lauren Pinkston, Victor L. Scoggin, Dave Seeman, Karl Knox Smithson, L. Webb Taylor and Robert C. Vick.
U.S. Senate — One of Tennessee's two Senate seats is up.
Republican: Incumbent Sen. Bill Hagerty
Democrat: Marquita Bradshaw, a Memphis environmental activist and the party's 2020 Senate nominee
Plus 8 independents: Tharon Chandler, Andrew Gerena, Jeremy Dean Hearn, Robert Jones, James William Macon III, Yoshi D. Matthews, David Sutman Jr. and Catherine "Barcy" Whitson.
📜 Three changes to the state constitution
These sit right under the governor's race on your ballot. Each one is a yes-or-no vote. To pass, an amendment needs more yes votes than no votes and yes votes from more than half of everyone who votes for governor.
Amendment 1 — Bail: Right now, judges can only deny bail for crimes that carry the death penalty. A yes vote would also let judges deny bail for terrorism, second-degree murder, aggravated rape, aggravated rape of a child, grave torture, and crimes where a convicted person must serve at least 85% of their sentence. Judges would have to explain their bail decision on the record.
Amendment 2 — No state property tax: A yes vote would ban the state from ever charging a property tax. Tennessee hasn't had one since 1949. Your city and county property taxes would not change.
Amendment 3 — Crime victims' rights: A yes vote would rewrite and expand victims' rights in the constitution — including the right to take part in parole hearings, be protected from harassment, and know an offender's minimum sentence and release date.
🏛️ U.S. House: three districts now
District 9 — The redrawn seat runs from Memphis's suburbs east across rural West and Middle Tennessee. Longtime Congressman Steve Cohen is retiring.
Republican: State Sen. Brent Taylor
Democrat: State Rep. Justin J. Pearson
Independents: Dennis Clark and Michelle Davis Head
District 8 — Now covers the biggest chunk of Shelby County.
Republican: Incumbent Rep. David Kustoff
Democrat: Former Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn
Independents: Adam D. Austill, Wendell "Wells" Blankenship, Antonio Futch, Pamela "P." Moses, Horace Taylor and Henry J. Ward III
District 5 — The redrawn seat starts in Memphis, runs up through West Tennessee and reaches east into Middle Tennessee. Both major-party nominees are from Middle Tennessee.
Republican: Charlie Hatcher
Democrat: Chaz Molder
Independents: James A. Johnson and Micheál O'Leary
🏛️ State legislature
Every voter has one state House race. Some also have a state Senate race.
The fun one: Two people are on the ballot twice. Brent Taylor is running for Congress and for his state Senate seat. Justin Pearson is running for Congress and for his state House seat.
State Senate
District 31: Republican Brent Taylor vs. Democrat David Weatherspoon
Unopposed: Raumesh Akbari (District 29) and London Lamar (District 33), both Democrats
State House — contested races
District 83: Republican Mark White vs. Democrat Margaret Price
District 87: Democrat Karen Camper vs. Republican Reggie William Hall
District 97: Republican John Gillespie vs. Democrat Jesse Huseth
District 99: Republican Tom Leatherwood vs. independent William P. Mouzon
State House — unopposed: Jesse Chism (85), Justin J. Pearson (86), Larry J. Miller (88), Torrey C. Harris (91), Kevin Vaughan (95), Telisa Franklin (96) and Antonio Parkinson (98).
Two odd ones:
District 84: Joe Towns won this primary in August but left the seat after being elected Criminal Court Clerk. Democrat Matthew Szalaj was picked to replace him on the ballot and has no opponent.
District 93: Your ballot will show no names. Five write-in candidates qualified: John Bradley, Tommy Brewington, Calvin Lacy, Mitchell Morrison and Brandon Washington. Only votes for those five will count.
🏙️ Live in Memphis? Three city questions
City of Memphis voters get three charter amendments at the bottom of the ballot. Each is a for-or-against vote.
Library workers: Would move Memphis Public Libraries employees into the city's civil service system. Today they serve at the mayor's pleasure.
Lobbyist rules: Would require the City Council to set up a system where lobbyists register and disclose who they work for.
Civil service appeals: Would let the council and mayor set up uniform rules for how city employees appeal job decisions, including who sits on the hearing panels.
🏘️ Live in the 'burbs?
November is the big one out east — mayors and aldermen are on the ballot.
Bartlett:
Mayor David Parsons is unopposed for another term.
Alderman races:
Position 1 — Jerry L. Jenkins vs. Harold Brad King.
Position 2 — Cindy Cromwell, Robert Griffin and Tim Schlum.
Position 3 — Tamisha P. DuBose vs. David Reaves.
School board members Erin Elliott Berry and Bryan Woodruff are unopposed.
Collierville:
Three alderman races.
Position 1 — Tim Goddard, Charles Hall and Jason Lederfine.
Position 2 — Steve Christensen, Jewel Jordan and Chad Kelsey.
Position 4 — Liz Deely vs. Missy Marshall.
School board Position 2 is Republican Michael Ebbs vs. Democrat Jason Morrison. Tom Bailey (Position 4) is unopposed.
Germantown:
An open mayor's race — Mayor Mike Palazzolo is retiring. It's Alderman Tony Salvaggio vs. former Germantown deputy fire chief Edgar Babian.
Alderman Position 2 — Todd Adams vs. Mary Anne Gibson; Scott A. Sanders (Position 1) is unopposed.
School board Position 4 — Vicki Gandee vs. Joy Williams; Heather Fisher (Position 2) is unopposed.
Lakeland:
Mayor Josh Roman faces Commissioner Connie McCarter.
Three candidates — Jeremy Burnett, Heather Ann Long and Lindsey Reap — are running for two commissioner seats.
School board members Keith Acton, Sara Castellaw and Laura Harrison are unopposed.
Millington:
Three contested alderman races.
Position 2 — Cody Childress, Willis S. Declue and Tammy Sneed.
Position 4 — Chris Everitt, Gordon "Gordo" Higgins and John "Johnny" Perales.
Position 7 (rest of an unfinished term) — Chris Denson, Charles P. Reed, Gavin Smith and Ann Turner.
School board Position 4 — Republican Don Holsinger vs. Democrat Marie L. Thomas. Bethany K. Huffman, Chris Ford, Debby Clifton and Mandy Compton are unopposed.
Arlington: No town races this time — Arlington held its election in August.
See you at the polls, Memphis.
