NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson has won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and will face off against Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn in November, pitting a survivor of a Republican-led expulsion effort over a gun control protest against a close ally of former President Donald Trump.

Early voting numbers, which are the first vote totals released after the polls close, won’t include the absentee total. Up until now, absentee votes have been included in the first release.

Shelby County elections administrator Linda Phillips said the afternoon rush hour might boost vote totals.

With years of experience behind both, the two MSCS school board candidates for District 2 hit Springdale Baptist Church to connect with voters. 

A campaign worker was handing out Corey Strong flyers at around 10 a.m. at Thursday, Aug. 1.

Here’s a look at our full election coverage and results.

Here is all you need to know about going to the polls on Shelby County’s second Election Day of 2024.

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Live blog: Final voting numbers show absentee spike didn’t last

Aug. 1 Election Day sets stage for November

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused a spike in absentee voting that didn’t repeat itself this year.

Thursday, Aug. 1, is an Election Day that Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris called “a practice run for November.” 

Arlington voters have a choice in only two of the six races on Thursday’s ballot. The other four are uncontested.

On the Aug. 1 ballot, the Bartlett race is unopposed, while two Germantown residents face off for a unexpired term.

The vote totals in Thursday’s race for General Sessions Court clerk could be a larger political indicator than who is the next clerk. Also reaction from Cohen, Kustoff and Blackburn to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to D.C.

A total of 26 early voting sites across Shelby County are open Saturday, July 27, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The first-week turnout is less than half of votes cast during the same time frame in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to an easing of absentee voting restrictions.

Collierville Alderman John Stamps is seeking his third four-year term on the Memphis suburb’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Political action committees have reported more than $73,000 in donations to candidates for the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board.

Wanda Gibbs was appointed to the Collierville Board of Education in 2019. She pulled a petition Wednesday for her second four-year term.

The specter of 85,000 new Internal Revenue Service employees hired specifically to go after taxpayers surfaced again Monday as U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., gave her second speech of the day to the Republican National Convention.

Three candidates have already pulled petitions to run for Collierville mayor while three others are planning to run for the seat being vacated by Alderman John Worley. 

Arlington, Bartlett and Germantown have races specific to their suburbs on the August ballot.

Here is everything you need to know about how to vote early ahead of the Aug. 1 election day in Shelby County.

Early voting opens Friday, July 12, in an election cycle that was much different four years ago due to COVID-19. The pandemic is over, but it’s still complicating turnout predictions for the Aug. 1 ballot.

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Ballot Basics: Early voting July 12-27

As early voting opens Friday, July 12, here is a look at the primaries for the two Congressional districts that cover Shelby County and the race for one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats.

Longtime Tennessee Sen. Sara Kyle faces a Democratic primary challenger on the August ballot — Erika Stotts Pearson, a perennial candidate for higher office.

The Republican primary winner is likely to face a spirited general-election challenge. State House District 97, which includes parts of East Memphis and Bartlett, is among the most competitive in the state.