Welcome back to On the Ballot, The Daily Memphian’s newsletter about all things election-related. 

The upcoming election — with early voting starting Wednesday, Oct. 16, and Election Day happening on Tuesday, Nov. 5 — is expected to have some of the highest voter turnout in recent years. 

 

Not only is it a presidential election, but all 13 Tennessee House districts that cover Shelby County are on the ballot as are both U.S. House districts and the race for one of Tennessee’s U.S. Senate seats. 

While suburban voters will select new officials for some aldermen and school board positions, City of Memphis voters will take up residency requirements for elected officials, mayoral runoffs and a three-part gun control measure. 

 

In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce you to candidates and cover the races. But for now, we’ll get you started with “Ballot Basics,” the U.S. Senate race between Marsha Blackburn and Gloria Johnson and break down the extremely lengthy gun control referendum (if you read it for the first time at the polls, it’s expected to take at least 15 minutes). 

 

And, as a reminder, during early voting and running through Nov. 5, The Daily Memphian’s local election coverage is free to all of our readers.