Memphis City Council runoffs: Early voting starts Friday. Here's what you need to know

Katherine Burgess, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Updated ·2 min read

Memphis voters in districts 2, 3 and 7 can start voting in their Memphis City Council runoff races on Friday.

Early voting will last from Oct. 27 to Nov. 11. Election Day is Nov. 16.

The early voting locations include:

  • Abundant Grace Fellowship Church at 1574 E. Shelby Dr.

  • Dave Wells Community Center at 915 Chelsea Ave.

  • Greater Middle Baptist Church at 4982 Knight Arnold Rd.

  • Pursuit of God Church at 3759 N. Watkins

  • TN Shakespeare Company at 7950 Trinity Rd.

  • White Station Church of Christ at 1106 Colonial Rd.

The sites are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on most Saturdays and closed on Sundays. The polling sites are also closed on Nov. 10.

On Nov. 11, the sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Memphis City Council runoffs: What to know if you plan to vote on Nov. 16

Only single-member districts go to runoffs when no candidate garners a majority of the vote.

The six candidates in the three runoff races are:

District 2

Jerri Green and Scott McCormick in District 2. Green finished with 3,755 votes to McCormick's 5,492. The District 2 seat was previously held by Frank Colvett, who could not seek reelection due to term limits.

Green has spent the last two years as a senior policy advisor for Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. McCormick previously served on City Council from 2004 to 2008, including chairman in 2008.

The district includes parts of East Memphis and Cordova.

For more information on either click here.

District 3

James E. Kirkwood and Pearl Eva Walker in District 3. Kirkwood had 2,307 votes and Walker had 2,645 votes. The District 3 seat was previously held by Patrice Robinson, who could not seek reelection due to term limits.

Kirkwood's background and experience is largely in law enforcement and as a pastor. He is currently the executive director of the Memphis Christian Pastors Network. Walker is the founder of I Love Whitehaven Neighborhood and Business Association and also served on the state Cosmetology Board for six years.

The district includes parts of Whitehaven, Oakhaven and Hickory Hill.

More information on either candidate can be found here.

District 7

Incumbent Michalyn Easter-Thomas and Jimmy Hassan in District 7. Easter-Thomas earned 3,936 votes to Hassan's 1,471 votes. This is the third time District 7 has seen a runoff in recent history. Previously the seat was decided by runoff in 2011, 2015, and in 2019.

Easter-Thomas has been a council member since 2020. She was the youngest Black councilwoman to ever get elected to the council. Hassan is a business owner.

The district includes parts of North Memphis, Frayser, Downtown and Mud Island.

More information on either candidate can be found here.

Katherine Burgess covers Memphis City Government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kathsburgess.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What to know about early voting in Memphis City Council runoff races