Shelby County General Election – Where to Vote and Who I’m Voting For

Early Voting in the Shelby County General Election begins today. Several sites open this morning. Those sites will also be open Saturday and Monday. Then on Tuesday, a ton of sites will open and remain open through Saturday, July 28th.  Election Day is Thursday, August 2nd.

Here’s a searchable map of the locations that open today along with the times they will be open. (click each icon for detailed information)

NOTE: If you see any errors on the dates/times, please contact me immediately so I can correct them.

Here’s a searchable map of the locations that are available beginning Tuesday, and the times they will be open through July 28th. (click each icon for detailed information)

NOTE: If you see any errors on the dates/times, please contact me immediately so I can correct them.

Here’s the official list from the Election Commission of Early Voting sites and times.

If for some reason you can’t get out to vote early, don’t forget to vote on Election Day!

Not sure where your polling location is? Go here to check your voter registration and your Election Day polling location.

Now that you know when and where to vote, here’s who I’m supporting in the Shelby County General Election and the Democratic Primary.

Shelby County General Election

Shelby County is lucky to have a full slate of candidates for County Commission. This is the first time since the single member districts were enacted in 2012 that all 13 Commission seats have had a Democratic nominee. Here are the Democratic candidates.

I haven’t had the opportunity to meet all of these folks, but everyone I’ve talked to has said they are fighters for the community.

I ran for Commission in a district that had never been won by a Democrat in 2012. So I know what some of them, who are running in 60%+ Republican districts are going through. I’m glad they’ve devoted their time to the cause. Its important that Democrats run and show up in every district, no matter how much the odds are against them.

There are two districts that could go either way: District 5 with candidate Michael Whaley and District 13 with candidate George Monger. I haven’t run county numbers on these districts since they were created in 2012. If the partisan balance has maintained since then, and if it stands up to a Countywide election, we could see a surprise or two in these districts.

Countywide Offices

Of course we’ve also got a really strong slate of candidates for Countywide office.

Lee Harris leads the ticket for County Mayor. Lee has shown a lot of energy and poise in this campaign. I’ve been fortunate to know him for over 10 years, and I feel confident he’ll be a great mayor.

Floyd Bonner for Sheriff, who was most recently second in command at the office.

Regina Morrison Newman is running for Trustee, and she’s solid as a rock.

Finally, there are a lot of familiar faces from the City Council and County Commission running for Assessor and various court clerks.

Honestly, this is the best Democratic slate of Countywide candidates I’ve seen in a long time. I hope you’ll support them.

State Democratic Primary Candidates

Democratic House Minority leader Craig Fitzhugh is running for the Democratic nomination for Governor. He’s who I’ll be supporting.

Craig has always been a standup guy to me. He’s a rural West Tennessean from Ripley. For my money, he’s also the more progressive of the candidates running.

Democrats in Tennessee are blessed to have two strong candidates running for the Gubernatorial nomination. Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean is the other leading candidate for the position.

My vote is going to Craig.

US Senate

Tennessee has had GOP Senators since I moved here in 2004. This year there’s a good chance at electing a Democrat for the post.

Former Governor Phil Bredesen is running for the Democratic nomination for US Senate.

Bredesen has opposition, but as far as I can tell, none of them have the name recognition or the ability and experience to take the fight to the likely GOP nominee like he does.

If Phil is successful, he’d be the first Democrat elected to the US Senate from Tennessee since 1990.

On the US House side in Shelby County I support Representative Steve Cohen in the TN-09 election. He’s a steady progressive vote in the House…something that is sorely needed in this truly bizarre national political climate.

In the Democratic race for the TN-08 post, I’ve only met one of the candidates, John Boatner, but his energy is infectious. I don’t live in TN-08, but if I did, he’s who I’d be voting for.

Tennessee House and Senate Primaries

There are a ton of folks running to be the Democratic nominee in state House and Senate contests. Some who win August 2nd, assume the office by default after the November election, as they have no opposition. So its really important to know who’s out there.

There’s no way I could cover all of them, so here are some of the really important ones to me.

Tennessee State Senate Dist. 29

State Rep. Raumesh Akbari is running for Lee Harris’ seat in the Tennessee State Senate. Akbari has distinguished herself in the State House. She’s a tireless fighter for her constituents and someone I feel very good about supporting for this office.

Her opponent in this race is County Commissioner Justin Ford.

I encourage you to support Raumesh Akbari.

Tennessee State House Dist. 90

For the majority of the time I’ve lived in Memphis, I’ve lived in District 90.

Current Rep. John Deberry is one of the most conservative Democrats in the State House. Two years ago he survived a primary contest from County Commission candidate Tami Sawyer. This year, Torrey Harris is contesting the seat. I enthusiastically support Torrey.

Torrey is exactly the kind of young, energetic, and progressive voice this district needs to fight back against some of the worst ideas the GOP dominated state legislature puts out there.

District 90 needs a guard dog to stand up to the GOP, not a GOP lap dog. Torrey Harris is a true fighter for what’s right for the district. He is, by far, the best choice for District 90.

Tennessee State Senate Dist. 33

There are a lot of old guard Democrats facing primary challenges this year. The contest for Tennessee State Senate District 33 is no exception.

Currently held by Demorcatic Senator Reggie Tate, who was caught on a hot mic dissing Democrats.

Clearly its time for a change. I support Katrina Robinson in this race. District 33 deserves better than Reggie Tate.

Tennessee State House Dist. 91

With Rep. Akbari running for the State Senate, there’s an opening in Tennessee House District 91.

Now, this isn’t my district, and I don’t know all the folks running…but I do know London Lamar. And how could you not?

London has been super active in Democratic politics since well before I started my pseudo-hiatus back in 2014.

London is young, energetic and ready to stand up for Memphis.

I have the utmost confidence in her. I hope you’ll consider supporting her.

But wait, there’s more…

There’s no way I could possibly mention all the folks I support all the way down the ballot. Some of them, like Dwayne Thompson, Alan Creasy, and Dave Cambron are fortunate enough to be running unopposed in the Primary, so I’ll have another shot at voicing my support in November.

Others like Gabby Salinas and David Weatherspoon are running against each other to take on State Senator Brian Kelsey in the November General.

City of Memphis District 9 Special Election

The final race I want to focus in on is the Special Election in Memphis to fill the District 9-2 seat.

This is a huge district that serves predominantly East Memphis.

The candidates running are: Charley Burch, Ford Canale, Tyrone Romeo Franklin, Lisa Moore, Erika Sugarmon, Tim Ware, and David Winston.

I’m voting for current Girls Inc. President and CEO, Lisa Moore.

Lisa and her team worked tirelessly to defeat a landfill expansion in Frayser earlier this year.

As the President and CEO o Girls Inc. of Memphis, she’s helped countless young women rise from their circumstances and beat the odds.

Because of the short timeframe, this race hasn’t been super active.

Honestly, I don’t think we’ve been contacted by any of the candidates thus far.

While I’m sure there are other great candidates in the race, I feel confident that Lisa Moore has the best chance to unseat Ford Canale, who was appointed by the City Council just a few weeks ago.

Truth be told, the City Council has enough CBHS graduates on it. Time for someone Strong. Smart. and Bold.

Conclusion

No matter where you live in Shelby County, I hope you’ll take the time to get out and vote and support these Democratic candidates. They’ve been working hard to represent you. Surely you can take a few minutes out of your day to show your appreciation.