Elections
Ballot Basics: Early voting July 17-Aug. 1
Here are the basics you need to know in order to vote early and make sure your ballot has all of the races it is supposed to have, including district races.
Bill Dries
Reporter
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
There are 4091 articles by Bill Dries :
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July 2020
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Election 2020
Elections -
Election 2020
ElectionsEarly voting opens in first Shelby County election during pandemic
More than 13,000 Shelby Countians had requested absentee ballots through Wednesday.
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Election 2020
ElectionsNearly 8,000 cast ballots in first 2 days of early voting
Early voting across Shelby County in advance of the Aug. 6 election date resumes Monday, July 20, after the first two days drew nearly 8,000 voters.
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Premium
City of MemphisVictorian Village ‘outcast’ makes a comeback
The restored columns of the circa 1840s Pillow-McIntyre House at Adams and Orleans were reinstalled last week, signalling at turn in fortunes for a sometimes forgotten house with some secrets.
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Public Safety Forrest slave market historic marker damaged, to be repaired
It is the second historical marker to be snapped in two from its base in the past month. The rector of Calvary Episcopal Church says the marker, noting the location of Nathan Bedford Forrest's slave market, will be repaired and reinstalled as soon as possible.
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Public Safety Stretch of Poplar may be renamed Black Lives Matter Avenue
The avenue between Front and Danny Thomas Boulevard to be renamed includes the county’s criminal justice center. A majority of the council is sponsoring the resolution, to be voted on at Tuesday’s council meeting.
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Podcast
City of MemphisEaster-Thomas: ‘Something missing’ in way police recruited
Memphis City Council member talks on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast about her push to remove from the November ballot a residency referendum that would allow police and firefighters to live outside the county.
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City of Memphis TVA private meeting with consultants to MLGW stirs pot in electric power debate
Critics of TVA contend the Friday meeting is “highly improper.” MLGW says the meeting is part of due diligence on the way to a final version of the report that will play a large role in determining whether the city-owned utility stays with or leaves TVA.
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Video
City of MemphisHeads of city’s 3 major hospitals discuss COVID surge readiness
The CEOs of Regional One Health, Baptist Memorial Health Care, and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare talk on "Behind The Headlines" about their contingency plans for the surge in COVID-19 cases locally and the numbers they look at to activate surge plans.
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Video
EducationSCS superintendent says most parents picking online classes for coming semester
The Shelby County Schools superintendent said on “Behind The Headlines” that the school system is ready with a flexible plan and two teams of teachers for each school – virtual teachers and in-person teachers.
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Elections Boyd and Brown battle for General Sessions Court Clerk
The only countywide general election race on the Aug. 6 ballot pits a former City Council member against a former Probate Court clerk for a complex but often forgotten office. Early voting starts Friday, July 17.
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Shelby County County Commission Scorecard: Ban the Box and Budget Aftermath
Our scorecard tracks what could a close final vote to come on the ban the box ordinance after it was amended. We also detail the three budget amendments that got through before the commission approved a hiring freeze.
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Metro Cohen amendment would make city flood control system part of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The city’s flood walls and other parts of its flood control system would be the responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under an amendment by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis to the federal Water Resources Development Act. -
Metro City Council delays move toward solid waste fee moratorium
The city administration says problems with garbage collection services aren’t solved yet but that the situation is improving. -
City of Memphis Council approves $113m CARES Act COVID-19 spending plan
The spending plan or budget was reconstructed several times in bargaining and changes in federal rules for how the grants could be used. Along the way, there was talk of animals moving out of the zoo and how to fund laptops and tablets for Shelby County Schools students.
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Metro County Commission approves alcohol ban at county functions
Though it’s expected to be amended, Shelby County Commissioners approved Monday, July 13, a ban on alcoholic beverages being served at county facilities.
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Elections Shelby County Schools board races feature a majority of positions
A majority of the seats on the nine-member Shelby County Schools board are on the August election ballot. As voters make those choices, starting with early voting later this week, parents are making other choices around the new school year.
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Shelby County County imposes hiring freeze and review to hold line on ‘tight’ budget
The proposal comes as County Mayor Lee Harris has 46 requests from other countywide elected officials to add positions two weeks into the new fiscal year. Harris also served notice Monday that next budget season he will be back with some kind of proposal to raise revenues to avoid layoffs and cuts in services that are a real possibility this fiscal year.
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Shelby County County ‘Ban the Box’ proposal for ex-offenders gets more complicated
Some significant amendments to apply the program to private contractors pushed a final vote to July 21.
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Elections August ballot includes some surprise races
Early voting in advance of the Aug. 6 election day begins Friday in Shelby County.
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Shelby County County Commission to take final vote on ‘ban the box’
The proposal would remove from county government employment applications the check box or question that asks whether the applicant has been convicted of a criminal offense.
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City of Memphis Elections are the next step beyond protests, say NAACP Freedom Fund speakers
The annual fundraiser of the Memphis Branch NAACP was held online Saturday and featured appearances by the national president and CEO of the nation's oldest civil rights organization as well as recent Democratic presidential contender Julian Castro.
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Podcast
City of MemphisMorgan says local reaction to George Floyd still awaits real legislative police reform
On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, City Council member Worth Morgan talks about his possible move to take police out of the city's civil service system and calls a move to cancel the November referendum allowing the city to hire police from outside Shelby County "the ultimate hypocrisy."
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City of Memphis City Council calls special session next week to discuss solid-waste-fee discount
The proposed discount would be in "Area E" – parts of Cordova and Hickory Hill where Waste Pro, the contractor for the city, has been falling behind in garbage collection.
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Shelby County County Commission continues budget reckoning at first in-person meeting since March
The Wednesday committee sessions drew most of the 13 commissioners, with the remainder attending online. Also debuting was a partitioned commission chambers with glass barriers between the elected officials and masks worn in the booths created for them.
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