With just hours to go until the polls open for the Nov. 5 election, The Shelby County Election Commission is making final preparations for an historic election — and Election Commissioner Vanecia Belser Kimbrow, Esq. wants to make sure voters are armed with accurate knowledge before they go.
Certainly, all eyes will be on the Presidential Election between Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. But there are races and referendums further down the ballot that will have a much more lasting impact, Belser Kimbrow said exclusively to The Tri-State Defender on Monday.
“Regardless of how you vote in the presidential race, even if you don’t like a particular candidate, your vote matters,” said Belser Kimbrow, who also sits on the board of The Tri-State Defender. “There have been elections for city government here in Shelby County that were decided by 14 votes. Fourteen votes. That was the difference between having one candidate represent you in government and another different candidate.
“So yes: EVERY VOTE MATTERS,” she added. “The people we elect will set policies, select judges and make decisions that will reverberate for years, maybe even decades. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your voice is heard. You’re not just voting for this person, or that person. You’re voting for the future.”
Early voting ended on Oct. 31 and data released by the Election Commission showed that more than 247,000 voters had cast their ballots before the deadline. Belser Kimbrow said that while that number is down from 2020, it tracks with early voting totals from pre-pandemic election years in 2016 and before. “There’s a lot of interest in this election,” she said.
That’s certainly true locally. In addition to the federal and state legislative elections, Memphians will make their opinions known on several referendums, including residency requirements for city officials as well as determining who sets salaries for the Mayor and City Council.
But no doubt, the buzziest referendums are the ones involving gun control — prohibiting unlicensed open carry (which Tennessee law permits), what to do about assault weapons run amok, and so-called “red flag” provisions allowing others to intervene if the gun owner is a threat to himself or others.
Even if approved by voters, the referendums won’t become law, Belser Kimbrow explained.
“But it will make absolutely clear the will of the people,” she continued. “There won’t be any wondering about what the people want at City Hall, at the Tennessee State House, because the vote will speak for itself.
“The referendums won’t directly affect policy, but it will make explicitly clear to those elected what the will of the people is,” she said. “And if those elected officials choose not to follow that guidance, then when the next election comes, voters can vote them out and get officials who will follow the people’s directions.”
Belser Kimbrow said voters should know by Wednesday morning what the outcomes of the Tennessee vote will be. “We’re not expecting any issues like what may happen in other states,” she said. Furthermore, there are multiple layers of protection – including GPS trackers on ballot boxes – to make sure votes are handled and transported securely.
Still she stressed several key things for voters to keep in mind as they vote:
Citizen’s Right to Vote: “If you’re a U.S. Citizen, you have a right to vote — and you should not leave the polling station until you exercise that right,” she said. “If you have an issue with voting, staff, supervisors and others all the way up to commissioners like me, we’re there to help you. File a provisional ballot, if necessary. But don’t leave without voting.”
Use the stylus: “The voting machine screens can be very sensitive, and if you press the screen with your finger, you may accidentally change your vote,” she said. “There’s a pen-like ‘stylus’ that can precisely mark your ballot. You can also request a paper ballot if you prefer.”
Feel free to report long lines: “Sometimes a polling station may get a lot more people,” she said. “But we have voting machines we can mobilize and send to the busiest polls. When voters tell us what’s going on, that helps us make those decisions.”
Expect friendly and helpful staff: “Our staff is well-trained on customer service and will be there to help all voters, to treat them with kindness, dignity and respect,” Belser Kimbrow said. “If someone experiences an issue, we want to hear about it. We don’t expect that to happen, and we will work to make things right.”
Accessibility options: There are provisions to help people with disabilities to vote – including bringing a helper, sitting down to vote, as well as options for sight and hearing disabled Americans. “All our staff is there to help,” she said.
Don’t get out of line, Pt. 1: Even though polls close at 7 p.m., voters who are in line at their polling stations at closing — even if the line wraps around the building — will still get to cast their ballots. “But you have to be IN LINE by 7 p.m.,” Belser Kimbrow said.
Don’t get out of line, Pt. 2: But Belser Kimbrow also calls on voters to bring their own politeness and home training to the polls. “Election workers will be on our best behavior, but we need voters to do the same,” she said. “In some cases, these workers will have been up since 5 a.m., tired, hungry . . . and still there to serve. We need voters to be kind to the poll workers and to each other.
“After all, no matter our background, political party or how you vote . . . we are all Americans,” she said. “We need to treat each other that way.”
