Voters began lining up at polling places in Memphis and the surrounding area on Wednesday, April 15 to be among the first to cast their ballots in the 2026 primary as early voting kicked off in Shelby County.
Early voting will run through April 30.
On weekdays, the county’s polling workers will open the doors at 11 a.m. and call it a day at 7 p.m. Voters can make their picks from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 18. On Saturday, April 25 doors will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ballots can also be cast at the Shelby County Election Commission’s Downtown office. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays to all registered county voters. Voters will get another chance on Saturdays, with the polls open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 18 and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 25.
The election commission is also conducting nursing home visits to make sure voting is available to their residents. They began on April 8.
All polling places will be closed on Sundays.
Polls will be opened again on May 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the primary.
This year’s primary ballot is packed with 122 Democratic candidates, compared to 19 Republicans. A handful of independents will also be in competition. There are a total of 35 contests on the ballot.
Seven Democrats are vying to succeed term-limited Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. The race is headlined by Memphis City Council member JB Smiley, Shelby County Commissioner Mickel Lowery and short-lived Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent Marie Feagins. As the GOP’s only candidate, former state Rep. John DeBerry is assured a spot on the August 9 general election ballot.
Voters will also choose a successor to term-limited Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner. Like the mayor’s race, the contest also attracted candidates from the Democratic Party. Two Republicans entered the race. Most of the candidates come from a background in law enforcement.
Another race that drew significant interest from candidates is the open county clerk seat. Several Democrats made the cut to succeed Wanda Halbert, who also cast her ambitions on the mayor’s office.
Several spots on the county commission will be up for grabs too. Of the 13 seats, only three incumbents — Chairwoman Shante Avant, Henri Brooks and Erika Sugarmon — appear on the ballot. The majority of the commissioners have run into term limits. However, Britney Thornton is leaving her District-10 seat after a single term to pursue the county clerk job.
Meanwhile, District-9 voters select a replacement for former commissioner Edmund Ford, Jr., who resigned from the seat in February, after pleading guilty to federal tax evasion charges. Interim commissioner Matthew Szalaj was recently selected to finish the term.
The Memphis-Shelby County School Board election calendar has returned to its regularly scheduled order. In February, a circuit court judge squashed an ordinance that aligned board elections with the commission.
As a result, only six of the 13 board seats appear on the 2026 primary ballot. They include Districts 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9. Current MSCS board Vice Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman is the only incumbent running for re-election. She faces four primary opponents. No Republican candidates appear on the ballot for the MSCS board races. Two independent candidates are on the slate.
Other contested races on the ballot include criminal court clerk and county trustee.
