Municipal judges in Germantown and Collierville sailed to reelection Thursday, Aug. 4 night. 

Voting for one of the more heated local elections in recent history closed shortly after 7 p.m. and after a delay results were finally announced.

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Shelby County’s ‘big ballot’ Election Day arrives with theme of change

Ballot Basics: Aug. 4 Election Day

What to watch for in the election night vote totals

While most people will be watching who won and who lost the evening of Thursday, Aug. 4, politicos will be viewing the numbers as the first indication of what could happen in the next election and the elections to follow.

Related stories:

Shelby County’s ‘big ballot’ Election Day arrives with theme of change

Ballot Basics: Aug. 4 Election Day

Polls across Shelby County open Thursday, Aug. 4, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The major races on county general election ballot reflect calls for change in several areas — at times, competing calls for change.

Related stories: 

Ballot Basics: Aug. 4 Election Day

What to watch for in the election night vote totals

Judge Raymond Clift is taking a leave of absence, so Germantown is considering naming a temporary judge.

Steve Mulroy, the Democratic nominee for District Attorney in Thursday’ election, is calling on opponent Amy Weirich, the current DA, to recuse herself from criminal charges her office is pursuing against a radio host who interviewed her last month.

The 86,637 early voters for the 14-day period ending Saturday, July 30, turned out in force for the last two days.

General Sessions Court Judge Tim Dwyer is not seeking another term in the Aug. 4 election ending a family journey in politics that began in the early 1950s.

In Barbara Cooper’s state House district along the Mississippi River, 45-year-old business owner Will Richardson says residents are looking for “a changing of the guard.”

Final early voting turnout numbers should be released Monday, and politicos on both sides of the partisan divide will study the numbers for hints at Thursday’s election results.

Numbers for Saturday’s final day of early voting aren’t out yet. But turnout is expected to top 80,000 for the two-week period. The final day also saw nonpartisan poll parties in two parts of town to boost overall turnout. Election Day is Aug. 4.

Almost 65,000 had voted early or absentee through Thursday according to the latest figures from the state. The next-to-last day of the voting period on Fridays is usually the highest.

A Collierville High alumna and Collierville Elementary parent is seeking a seat on the town’s board of education.

In the middle of an election campaign, District Attorney Amy Weirich appears on Thaddeus Matthews’ show as her office simultaneously prosecutes him on several misdemeanor allegations. Legal experts say it appears to be a conflict of interest.

Also Friday, the Memphis Area Transit Authority will offer free service on all fixed routes to encourage early voting ahead of the Aug. 4 election day.

Arlington municipal school board candidates are strategizing their final campaign moves with Election Day just over a week away. 

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board rejected on Tuesday evening, July 26, applications for three charter schools, but the schools could still gain approval by going an alternate route. 

The two contenders for Shelby County Mayor clashed for the second time in a week, this time at the Memphis Rotary Club’s traditional mayoral debate.

Dr. Daniel Chatham, a local pediatrician, plans to seek a seat on the Germantown Municipal School District Board of Education.

Shelby County’s early voter turnout so far is higher by far than any other county in the state and mostly Democratic with an estimated 35,000 in the first week once numbers from Friday and Saturday are posted Monday. Meanwhile John Rich campaigns for Brent Taylor and Republicans shuffle their endorsement ballot to highlight the county clerk’s race. 

In the Northeast Shelby County GOP primary race for the General Assembly, voters will decide whether they view incumbent state Rep. Tom Leatherwood of Arlington as effective or, as his challenger says, “lackadaisical.”

Here is The Daily Memphian’s guide to who is who in the 31 contested judicial races, including endorsements and polling by the city’s two bar associations.