Memphis voters begin deciding the winner and losers of the 2019 city elections Friday as early voting opens in advance of the Oct. 3 election day.

The two-week voting period in advance of the Oct. 3 Memphis election day opens Sept. 13 at 18 sites across the city. At stake are 18 races for city offices featuring 78 candidates and one ballot question.

A federal judge Thursday blocked the state’s new voter registration law, a reaction to a large number of applications filed in Shelby County in 2018. 

More than 800 attorneys participated in the ranking of candidates as best qualified for the judicial races. In the race for city court clerk, the largest response to the field of nine contenders was "no opinion."

The plaintiffs in a federal court case over voting machines are calling for election officials to conduct forensic audits of the touch-screen voting machines used in Shelby County.

With challengers for every incumbent seeking re-election, Tuesday's council session was short and punchy. Meanwhile, the Central Library remains ground zero for multiple candidate forums – one Tuesday evening for seven of the 11 candidates for mayor on the Oct. 3 ballot.

Everything you need to know about your City Council Super District.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is running for re-election on a record of basics in a campaign that emphasizes consistency and separates him from past mayors who have emphasized their vision for the city. It's a different political path that has its challenges.

The Memphis campaign season is now at the stage when there are numerous campaign forums that bring together rivals, incumbents and their challengers. And the forums can be a mixed bag for the candidates and the voters they hope to persuade.

City Council member Gerre Currie has had an unexpected path to the council starting with her appointment to the District 6 seat in January. On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, she discusses her decision to run for a full term in an open Super District seat instead of District 6.

The Arlington ballot is topped by a challenge of Mayor Mike Wissman's bid for a third term. It includes three races for aldermen and two for the Arlington school board.

In a “Behind The Headlines” interview, Mayor Jim Strickland defended his record of racial equity. His comments were his most pointed about Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer of the campaign, covering several issues.

Former mayor Willie Herenton is the city's longest-serving mayor and its first elected African-American mayor, with a colorful legacy. His bid to return after a decade away is the next chapter in that legacy.

Memphis Mayoral contender and Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer is mounting a complex challenge of incumbent mayor Jim Strickland. The challenge combines promises of disruption with national issues as Sawyer seeks to fuse activism with electoral politics.