Memphians overwhelmingly approved two sets of ordinances up for approval on the 2024 general election ballot on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Along with changes to mayoral elections, voters sent a near-absolute message to state lawmakers condemning the proliferation of guns in Memphis.
Yes to runoffs
Eager not to see a repeat of the 2023 mayoral contest, voters agreed by a 80% to 20% margin with a referendum that adds a run-off provision to future races.
Council members added the ordinance after the 2023 contest produced a winner with no clear mandate. Mayor Paul Young emerged the winner from a crowded field with a shade over 27%. The second place candidate, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, captured 22%.
A runoff is a second election that is held if no candidate yields the minimum number of votes to gain office. The provision gained a total of 128,034 votes.
A previous runoff provision was eliminated from the city charter by a federal judge in 1991, after the jurist ruled the requirement hindered Black candidates’ ability to run for office.
The abolished requirement also applied to council members. It was passed in 1967. At the time, Memphis was a majority-White city.
Yes to salary approval
Voters also agreed 70% to 29% to a referendum that authorizes the city council to set the salaries of the Mayor, the administration’s CAO, appointed directors and deputy directors – in addition to their own pay.
A total of 113,653 voted to approve the ordinance, while 47,395 disagreed.
Young currently makes $210,000 per year, after council members approved a 23% raise last year.
Council pay, meanwhile, tops out at just under $30,000 annually. In the late 1980s, an ordinance matching council members compensation with their counterparts at the Shelby County Commission was approved.
Before that, the question of pay raises were left up to the voters. As a result, the council rate stalled at $6,000 annually for two decades.
Yes, you have to be a “bona fide” resident
A referendum establishing residency rules for mayoral races also passed muster.
Voters agreed by an wide margin, 89% to 10%, to limit eligibility to “bona fide” residents of Memphis, who have lived within the city limits for two years prior to the date of an election. The candidate also must be 18-years-old.
During the city council debate, attorney Allan Wade expressed doubts about whether a five-year residency requirement adopted by a previous referendum was still on the books – or even constitutional.
The residency issue came to a head after Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner announced his interest in running for Memphis Mayor during the last election. Another candidate, former Mayor Willie Herenton, also had an issue with his Collierville residency.
With the referendums’ approval, any prior relevant qualifications for the office contained in the charter.
BY ALL MEANS to gun control measures
The second set of questions approved includes a referendum that declares that “proliferation of assault weapons” poses a health and safety threat to all citizens of the city. A total of 139,868 voters agreed with the assessment. It passed 89% to 10%.
According to the Memphis Police Department statistics, there have been 266 homicides in the city this year to date. The total represents a steep drop. The Bluff City had a record 398 homicides in 2023, up 40% from 2022. Despite the decrease, an April report from U.S. Department found that Memphis’ homicide rate leads the nation.
Gun-related homicides are also considered to be one of the leading causes of death for youths.
Voters also approved an ordinance that seeks to prohibit the open carry, or concealment of assault rifles within the city limits. Persons with valid handgun permits would be allowed to carry the weapons on their property, or to a rifle range.
The ordinance received 136,555 votes to easily pass 80% to 19%.
Voters also assented to a third question that allows for a court to provide protections to people believed to be under threat from a gun owner – or to protect the life of the gun owner, if they are a threat to their self.
In addition to seizing the weapon, background checks would be ordered to identify individuals prohibited from owning firearms.
Furthermore, the ordinance outlaws furnishing a weapon to a respondent, while providing protections against false claims.
It passed 84% to 15%, with 140,353 votes.
Despite their easy passage locally, any provisions contained in ordinances aimed towards gun control run counter Tennessee state law. Currently, most citizens 21 and above are allowed to open carry or conceal a handgun without a permit.
The loose restrictions have caused friction between some area politicians and conservative members of the state legislature. The latter hold a large majority and typically represent rural interests.
