Pre-Election Day voting numbers in Shelby County drifted back down to Earth the 2024 cycle, according to numbers reported by the Shelby County Election Commission on Friday, Nov. 1.
Over the 14-day period beginning on Oct. 16, Shelby County voters cast a total of 257,715 early and absentee votes. The sum represents a nearly 50,000 drop in early participation from the 2020 election, which totalled 326,035.
The numbers also jibe with pre-pandemic totals. The 2016 figure was 242,309. Further back, Shelby County voters cast 232,401 ballots in 2012 and 254,362 in 2008.
Minus absentee ballots, the highest turnout day was Halloween. By the time voting ended at 7 p.m. Oct, 31, 22,266 votes were cast. The Oct. 16 totals – which included 2,832 absentee ballots – were 23,040.
There were 26 early voting locations scattered around Memphis.
With the absentee ballots subtracted from those years, early vote totals ranged from 61.7 to 78.3 of the total votes cast in Shelby County.
This year, there were 11,600 requests for absentee ballots. Those also trended towards pre-pandemic levels.
In 2020, restrictions on absentee voting were dropped due to the pandemic. Non-postal drop boxes were introduced. With the loosening of the rules, 27,435 absentee were cast. In 2016, the number was 6,937.
Voting locations open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on Election Day.
