Voters in Memphis are heading to the polls to elect a new mayor and vote on a full slate of city council seats. Polls close at 7 p.m. (CDT). We will have the election results below once they do.
Mayor
Incumbent Mayor Jim Strickland has hit his term limit after two terms and a failed ballot initiative to extend term limits. 17 candidates are running for the open office. Included among the candidates are Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, former TV Judge Joe Brown, former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, former chair of the Shelby County Commission Van Turner, and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission Paul Young. There is no runoff threshold for mayoral elections in Memphis. A plurality of the vote is all that is required to win.
City Council Districts
Races for city council districts 1-7 are all subject to a runoff still. If no candidate achieves a 50%+1 majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a November 16th runoff election. Districts 1, 4, 6, and 7 all feature incumbents running for reelection.
City Council Super Districts
Districts 8 and 9 are what the city calls super districts. Each covers half of the city’s population. Each super district has three positions that are elected in separate races district-wide. These races, like the mayoral race, are not subject to a runoff. Position 1 in District 8, and all three positions in District 9 feature incumbents running for reelection.