There are 81 article(s) tagged Linda Phillips:

• October 2020

  • Inside the election process: how and where absentee, early voting ballots are counted

    Election officials put trust in people’s respect for meticulous process.

    By David Waters October 31, 2020

  • For out-of-town college students, act of voting is its own statement

    Absentee voting provides an extra layer of challenge for young voters just trying to be a part of the electoral process.

    By Don Wade October 26, 2020

  • Absentee votes will complicate election night returns

    Shelby County Elections Administrator Linda Phillips, on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, says the unofficial vote count may be tallied by midnight Nov. 3. But counting absentee ballots is a complex process.

    By Bill Dries October 17, 2020

  • Election Commission clears backlog of absentee ballot requests

    The commission is now processing absentee applications as they come in. The deadline to request the mail-in ballots is Oct. 27.

    By Bill Dries October 13, 2020

• August 2020

  • Certified vote totals show signs of frustration with mail delays

    The voter turnout totals certified Monday by the Shelby County Election Commission show a larger than normal number of provisional ballots. 

    By Bill Dries August 25, 2020

  • Absentee ballot anxiety weighed and sorted in election aftermath

    The Shelby County Election Commission got requests for nearly 20,000 absentee ballots and about 17,000 of the mail-in ballots were cast in Thursday's election. Some voters anxious about waiting for the ballots to come instead voted in person on election day or during early voting. And some ballots were disqualified because of specific state laws.

    By Bill Dries August 08, 2020

• July 2020

  • New voting system to wait until after November presidential election

    On "Behind The Headlines," Shelby County Elections Administrator Linda Phillips says some upgraded digital scanners that are part of the new system will be used in the August vote count and again in November. She expects the November presidential general election Shelby County to be a record-setter in terms of turnout.

    By Bill Dries July 31, 2020

  • Early voting through five days tops 22,000

    The turnout totals from the Shelby County Election Commission also show the first indications of a massive absentee voter turnout as election officials expect to catch up to a backlog of absentee applications by Friday.

    By Bill Dries July 23, 2020

  • Absentee ballot count stands at about 11,000, Phillips says

    So far, the return by voters of the unusually high number of the mail-in ballots hasn't shown up in the early voting turnout figures. Shelby County Elections Administrator Linda Phillips told county commissioners Wednesday, July 22, that some absentee voters may not complete their ballots because they are expecting to see the presidential general election that is on the November ballot.

    By Bill Dries July 22, 2020

  • About 8,000 of 15,000 requested absentee ballots mailed so far

    The deadline to request an absentee ballot is July 30, so more ballot requests are on the way. Meanwhile, a total of 12,314 Shelby County voters have cast their ballots -- absentee and through in-person early voting -- in the first three days of the period that runs through Aug. 1. Election day is Aug. 6. 

    By Bill Dries July 21, 2020

  • Official: Coronavirus safety measures will be in place for early voting

    Shelby County Elections Administrator Linda Phillips reminded voters that Friday is the first day of early voting and that safety measures will be in place.

    By Abigail Warren July 16, 2020

• May 2020

  • Harris signs letter of intent for new $4 million voting system

    The details of the winning proposal for the new voting machines were made public Thursday with the signature of Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. Still to come is approval of funding by the Shelby County Commission.

    By Bill Dries May 21, 2020

  • Council joins call to lift absentee ballot restrictions

    The call for an executive order by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is the latest, including three lawsuits pending in Nashville. Lee has said he will not issue an executive order dropping state law's present restrictions on the mail-in ballots.

    By Bill Dries May 19, 2020

  • Election Commission approves new voting system

    Shelby County election commissioners approved a new voting system for Shelby County Thursday night, May 7, that will include machines with a paper audit trail.

    By Bill Dries May 08, 2020

• March 2020

  • Election Commission to hold special meeting Wednesday on new voting machines

    Shelby County Election Commissioners will meet electronically Wednesday, April 1, to discuss a new voting system for county elections.

    By Bill Dries March 27, 2020

  • ‘Complex’ process ahead for new voting machines

    Shelby County elections administrator Linda Phillips says her goal is still to have a new voting system in place when early voting begins July 17 in advance of the Aug. 6 election day.

    By Bill Dries March 14, 2020

  • Politics Podcast: New Voting Machines

    Shelby County elections administrator Linda Phillips says new voting machines are still a possibility for the August elections. Phillips also talks about the debate between hand-marked paper ballots and a paper audit trail using touchscreen machines that appear to be the two most likely options.

    By Bill Dries March 13, 2020

• February 2020

  • Democratic presidential camps emerge to boost early voting

    The first numbers from the start of early voting are strong and much higher than the same point in early voting four years ago. 

    By Bill Dries February 14, 2020

  • Iowa app problems cast shadow on local voting discussion

    Shelby County Commissioners' decision regarding a new voting system for August ballots isn't the final word, but a recommendation for the Shelby County Election Commission. 

    By Bill Dries February 05, 2020

• January 2020

  • New Shelby election machinery debate heightens fraud claims on all sides

    Shelby County Commissioner Michael Whaley may have framed the debate on a new voting system that is about to land at the county building.

    By Bill Dries January 22, 2020

  • Hand-marked paper ballots for elections get new push

    Commissioners talk about new voting machines next week, and the election commission plans to buy and begin using new voting machines this election year – but so far the focus has been on paper trails and not paper ballots to mark.

    By Bill Dries January 18, 2020

• December 2019

  • Harris’ legislative agenda includes driver’s license reinstatement

    Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris wants to help the state reinstate driver’s licenses, a huge criminal justice issue for about 100,000 county residents.

    By Linda A. Moore December 23, 2019

• October 2019

  • Last-minute bump in registrations for runoff elections adds to crunch of activity

    The Shelby County Election Commission is working to add voters to the rolls in time for the Nov. 14 runoff elections as the result of a last-minute bump in online registration thanks to a national Facebook effort.

    By Bill Dries October 22, 2019

  • Election commissioner talks paper ballots for future elections

    Shelby County Election Commissioner Bennie Smith says hand-marked paper ballots are a better alternative than the paper audit trail systems the commission explored a year ago. He also talked about low voter turnout on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast.

    By Bill Dries October 05, 2019

  • Campaigns move to city election day as voters decide

    As Memphis voters put to rest another season of campaigns for a place at City Hall, there are several last-minute dramas unfolding in a city where election night is the same night as Memphis Madness.

    By Bill Dries October 03, 2019