Election Day is finally HERE — and TSD is out in the field, tracking the 2024 election on the ground, online and around the Mid-South!
TSD Interim Editor Lee Eric Smith and other members of the TSD team will be checking in from polling locations throughout Memphis, as well as following the election on social media for any issues. We’ll be updating this page throughout the day and into the night as results come in, so make sure to check back and refresh this page frequently!
And most importantly: GO VOTE! And if you have to wait in line, make sure you check out this important information:
- Election Commissioner makes powerful case for voters to turn out.
- Key local races and referendums
- Why NOT voting could hurt Black Communities
UPDATE (11:45 a.m): Checking in from the Shelby County Democratic Headquarters, where Democrats will be gathering as the results come in Tuesday night. Relatively quiet at noon, though:
UPDATE: 11 a.m.: A steady stream of voters at North Hollywood Community Center in North Memphis… While there, I noticed some important voter information on a poster had fallen down, so I made sure the staff there was aware:
Also spoke with Jaylon Norman, a 28 year old voter who was inspired by his grandmother: “My great grandmother always used to make sure she voted every time,” he said. But he admitted the local referendums on gun control and city salaries weren’t on his radar. “As crazy as it sounds, I’m not too knowledgeable about that,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of us are, to be honest with you.”
UPDATE (10:15 a.m): After hearing a few voters at Ed Rice say they were directed to a different polling station (“They told me to go to some church up on Watkins . . .”), I went further north on Watkins to Pursuit of God Christian Church, which is indeed a polling station.
Poll workers there were forbidden from speaking on the record, but informally, a poll worker told me she suspected that those being redirected had simply moved and didn’t update their information. “If they’d voted early, they could have voted at any precinct,” the worker said. “But on the day of, you got to vote at YOUR precinct.”
UPDATE (10 a.m): A few sprinkles but short lines are at the Ed Rice community center in Frazier on North Watkins. But I did have an interesting conversation with a voter who did not want to be identified and I quickly learned why.
As I asked the 34 year-old mother of four, what her most important issues were she said without blinking women’s rights, specifically reproductive rights. She mentioned she had relatives who had health issues and that she was voting for the protection of her kids and future grandchildren.
But it did strike me that that was the reason why she did not want to be identified — not just because of the sensitivity of her reasons for voting, but as I think about it, she was probably considering any legal ramifications as well. I asked her if she thought many women voters were thinking the same way quietly voting for the candidate they think will protect women’s rights, regardless of their public position. “I don’t talk about that stuff. People don’t want to ruffle people’s feathers,” she said. “It’s best to keep it (to myself).”
Reported by Lee Eric Smith
UPDATE (8:30 a.m): ABC24 is reporting that there was a disturbance at polling center on Macon St. earlier this morning around 6 a.m., before the polls opened. A police presence remains at the scene, even though the person who caused the disturbance has reportedly left. No further issues have been reported.
WEATHER: It WILL rain today, but forecasters don’t project that until around noon, with heavier rainfall expected to move in later this afternoon. If you are one of those voters who is allergic to raindrops, make sure to get to the polls before noon — or take an umbrella. But don’t let that stop you!
