Aug. 1 Election Day sets stage for November
Thursday, Aug. 1, is an Election Day that Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris called “a practice run for November.”
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 3805 articles by Bill Dries :
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August 2024
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Elections -
Elections Final early voting numbers show 2020 absentee spike didn’t last
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused a spike in absentee voting that didn’t repeat itself this year.
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Elections Ballot Basics: Everything you need to know about voting Thursday
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
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Elections Sawyer is new General Sessions Court clerk
Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer won a hard-fought partisan contest for General Sessions Court Clerk in the only countywide race on the Thursday, Aug. 1, ballot.
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Elections Here’s who won the federal primaries
Democratic incumbent Steve Cohen won Thursday’s primary for U.S. House District 9. Republican David Kustoff was unopposed for House District 8. Republican Marsha Blackburn will face Democrat Gloria Johnson for the U.S. Senate.
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ElectionsSawyer says Republican strategy in clerk’s race backfired
Clerk-elect Tami Sawyer said her opponent’s campaign focus on Sawyer’s activist roots was ignored by voters. “I talked about my priorities. The other party talked about me,” she told The Daily Memphian.
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Elections Sawyer takes early vote in clerk’s race, school board appears set for refresh
Shelby County’s early voting results show former Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer leading Republican nominee Lisa Arnold in the countywide race for General Sessions Court clerk.
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The afternoon ‘rush’ and the value of the vote
Through 3 p.m. today, the Shelby County Election Commission counted 15,754 voters since the polls opened at 7 a.m.
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Elections On the vote totals you are about to see
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.
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Elections Heat is suppressing turnout, elections official says
Shelby County elections administrator Linda Phillips said the afternoon rush hour might boost vote totals.
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July 2024
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State Government City’s D.C. reps react to proposed Supreme Court changes
The proposals Monday by U.S. President Joe Biden would require Congressional approval. That seems unlikely given the reaction of the city’s representatives in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
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City of Memphis Memphis Zoo funding new research center in Sri Lanka
Construction on the eco-friendly research station in Sri Lanka began in 2023 and is scheduled to open later this year.
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ElectionsFirst week of early voting less than half 2020 turnout
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.
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Elections Saturday is final day to vote early in Aug. 1 election
A total of 26 early voting sites across Shelby County are open Saturday, July 27, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Downtown Appeal in Brooks Museum construction lawsuit alleges mistake by judge
Friends for Our Riverfront argue a June ruling denying their motions to halt Brooks Museum construction “improperly departed from the course of judicial conduct.”
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Shelby County Jerri Green becomes Shelby County deputy chief of staff
Memphis City Council member Jerri Green is moving from senior policy adviser to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris to deputy chief of staff in the county administration.
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Elections Who on the August ballot has already won?
Ten races in the August election were decided at the April 12 deadline for candidates to file their qualifying petitions. In these 10 races, those who filed are unopposed.
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City of Memphis Ballot question to add suburban seats to MLGW board fails at City Council
The sponsor withdrew the referendum as other Memphis City Council members prepared to vote it down. The council also dealt with three other ballot questions.
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Shelby County Whaley selected as County Commission chair
The vote Monday, July 22, revealed some enduring gaps among the commission’s nine-vote Democratic majority.
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City of Memphis Council moves another ballot question to November, debates MLGW board changes
Council members also take the second of three votes Tuesday on a city referendum that would expand the Memphis Light, Gas and Water board by two seats, with the two new voting members coming from outside the City of Memphis.
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City of MemphisMud Island amphitheater’s foundation unstable
For Memphis River Parks Partnership, one question is: Can the amphitheater be repaired? The second is: Should it be?
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State GovernmentInside the Tennessee Democratic delegation’s decision to back VP Harris
The Tennessee delegation’s Sunday online meeting wasn’t a quick vote to back Vice President Kamala Harris, but many of the delegates had endorsed her as President Joe Biden’s successor before the virtual vote.
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Update
State GovernmentLocal Democratic reaction to Biden withdrawal is backing for Harris
Local Democratic elected officials reacted to President Joe Biden’s decision to call off his reelection bid Sunday, July 21, and support Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee for president.
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City of MemphisNew plans for Mud Island echo its compelling past
The museum is slated to become an immersive experience built around the riverboat models that were its centerpiece. It began with some high-tech touches when it opened, and Sidney Shlenker had plans beyond those touches.
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Shelby County County Commission to review raises, a veto override and clerk’s office lease
The Shelby County Board of Commissioners will discuss a 6% pay raise for employees, could reopen a Land Bank ordinance and vote on a new lease for Millington office space for the Shelby County clerk’s office.
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