A quick history of Tennessee redistricting and a closer look at unofficial vote totals
Voters receive their "I voted" sicker at New Bethel Baptist Church April 17, 2026. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
In the political roundup:
- Notes from the May 5 primaries
- This redistricting skirmish is different, but past battles have usually found their way into court
- The day after the election for two unofficial members-elect of the new Shelby County Board of Commissioners
The 16% voter turnout for the May 5 Shelby County primaries is the second highest in the 32-year history of this even-year county primary election cycle — the top being 18% in 2002.
Most of the turnout — 56,538 of 89,848 — was in early voting and in the Democratic primary, given that Republicans had only one contested county primary on their side of the partisan ledger.
This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.
Topics
2026 county primaries redistricting John Ryder Victor Ashe Don Sundquist Jamita Swearengen John DeBerry Lashanta Rudd Henri Brooks political roundup Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
Did you know we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization? We rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and other earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).
Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today.
👉🏽 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.
👉🏽 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.
We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.
Bill Dries on demand
Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Bill Dries' stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Bill Dries
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.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories? If you’re a subscriber, scroll down to the comments. If you’re not a subscriber, only paid subscribers can add their thoughts, so subscribe now. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.