2023 election updates: Paul Young is Memphis' next mayor with 28% of the vote

Good evening, Memphis! It's Election Day and the mayor's office and 11 Memphis City Council seats are up for grabs.

As results trickled in Thursday night, Downtown Memphis Commission President Paul Young jumped out to an early lead, and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner conceded around 9:15 p.m.

Much of that early lead came from early voting numbers, which were higher than in previous elections. By the final day of early voting Saturday, 15.5% of Memphis’ 373,091 registered voters had cast a ballot. The 15.5%, which comes to 57,951 voters, is more than the number of early voters in either the 2019 (52,718 early voters) or 2015 (51,840) municipal elections. Officials hope turnout on Election Day itself will be high.

Whether you're looking to vote today or cast your ballot during early voting, we will have everything you need to know here.

Where can I find Memphis election results?

You can find live election results online at commercialappeal.com/elections/results/local.

10 p.m. — Paul Young will be the next Memphis mayor

With all of the 98 precincts reporting and two concessions from other leading mayoral candidates, unofficial election results show Paul Young will be the next mayor of Memphis.

“This is not about Paul Young. This is about the future of our city, the city we love, the city people forgot about, the one they wanted to write off,” Young said as he greeted supporters at his election watch party. “We’re not having it y’all. We’re ready to take us into a new future. … it’s time for us to write the next pages of Memphis history."

Young jumped into the lead with the return of early voting totals and remained in top position throughout Thursday evening.

The latest dispatch of voting results from the Shelby County Election Commission shows Young clinching the win with almost 28% of the vote in a crowded 17-candidate field.

In the midst of celebrations at his watch party, Young acknowledged the issues at stake in Memphis as violent crime concerns dominated the election ramp-up.

"I know the heaviness we’re feeling right now, I hear the cries of the mothers, the cousins, the brothers, far too many people dying, kids that are starving, poverty that we’ve been talking about for the last 60-70 years, our community needs help, our community needs leadership and it’s time for that next generation to take us into a new wave," Young said. “We want a future that we’ve never seen y’all, and that’s what we’re going to do together.”

To read more about mayoral election results, head here.

To read about who won Memphis City Council seats, head to this link. To read about the three Memphis City Council races headed for runoffs, head to this link.

9:45 p.m. — Willie Herenton concedes race

Former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton has conceded, clearing the way for an all but certain victory for Paul Young.

Herenton thanked and addressed supporters at his watch party, saying “We're going to continue to pray for Memphis. We're going to continue to work in whatever capacity we find ourselves to make Memphis a better city. So we congratulate Paul Young."

9:15 p.m. — Floyd Bonner concedes as voting returns begin to bear out a pattern

Bonner has conceded in the race for Memphis' next mayor.

Bonner announced to gatherers at his watch party he was calling it on his bid for mayor, as his vote totals continued to lag behind Paul Young. His concession raises the chances of Young clinching the mayoral race.

"I have called Mr. Young and conceded, and told him congratulations. And you know, all of us want the best for Memphis. And tomorrow, I’ll wake up as the Sheriff of Shelby County," Bonner said. "As hard as we’ve worked during this campaign, we’re going to continue to work just as hard, to make Memphis the city we all want it to be, a safe city, and a prosperous city."

As Bonner conceded the race across town at the Memphis Botanic Gardens, Young’s mother, Pastor Dianne Young embraced supporters of her son at Minglewood Hall.

“Look at what God has done,” she said. “This is surreal because this is a dream I had 20 years ago, and I told him when he was an engineering student. He said, ‘Mama, I’m not going into politics.’ And look where he is now.

9 p.m. ― Paul Young holds onto lead for Memphis mayor as Election Day results trickle in

The latest unofficial vote totals released by the Shelby County Election Commission show no change in standing for the leading four mayoral candidates.

With 38 precincts out of 98 reporting, Young holds onto the lead by 3,259 votes ahead of Bonner. There is no runoff for the mayoral race and a candidate only needs a plurality of votes to win.

Young's total so far is 19,111 votes, including early voting. Bonner is in second place with 15,852 votes, Willie Herenton is behind Bonner with 14,649 votes, and Van Turner has collected 14,193 votes.

7:30 p.m. — Early and absentee votes for Memphis mayor show Paul Young leading

Early voting and absentee ballot returns show Paul Young in the lead for mayor with 16,248 votes.

Behind Young, Floyd Bonner received 13,640 early and absentee votes, Willie Herenton has the third-highest total with 12,431 followed by Van Turner with 11,680 votes.

Candidates Michelle McKissack, J.W. Gibson, and Joe Brown notched 901, 1,560 and 628 votes, respectively.

All voting totals are uncertified, meaning they are not yet official. Returns on the Election Day voting results will be updated periodically throughout the night on Thursday.

Read more about Young's early voting lead here.

7 p.m. — The polls are officially closed in Memphis

As of 7 p.m., all polling locations are officially closed; if you were in line prior to 7 p.m., you are allowed to stay in line until you are able to cast your ballot.

The Shelby County Election Commission will provide periodic updates for each race throughout the evening until a winner is determined or, in the case of single-member city council districts, a run-off is declared.

All votes are considered unofficial until the votes have been certified.

6 p.m. — Voting continues at Board of Education polling location, despite loss of power

The power is out at the Board of Education polling location, but voting continues thanks to battery-powered machines, according to the administrator of the Shelby County Election Commission, Linda Phillips.

Memphis Light, Gas & Water has not posted an estimated repair time for the grid that serves the Board of Education. According to the utility's outage map, roughly 4,600 customers are without power due to 18 outages.

3:30 p.m. — Just under 17,000 have voted on Election Day

According to the administrator of the Shelby County Election Commission, Linda Phillips, fewer than 17,000 had voted as of 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

The 16,830 ballots cast are fairly typical numbers for Election Day, according to Phillips, with gradual increases occurring by the hours, a trend that Phillips expects will continue as voters leaving work begin to arrive at the polls.

1:20 p.m. ― Volunteers and candidates outnumber voters at Greenlaw Community Center

Around 1:20 p.m. today, there were close to 20 volunteers and candidates at the Greenlaw Community Center precinct — but only about three voters.

Among the candidates outside was Edward Douglas, who is running in the City Council District 7 race.

Also around 1 p.m., the Shelby County Election Commission tweeted that it had seen "a smooth start to Election Day."

1 p.m. ― Business as usual as Election Day ticks by

At Trinity United Methodist, typically one of the top polling locations for voter turnout, a morning rush had slowed to a trickle around 1 p.m., according to poll workers.

A smattering of campaign workers greeted cars turning onto Galloway Avenue from Evergreen Street in Midtown, including District 5 City Council candidate Meggan Kiel's daughter, Sadie Kiel, who greeted every car with a cheerful "Vote for my mom!"

Overall, it was business as usual at Trinity and more broadly in Memphis, according to a contracted election spokesperson, Renee Malone.

Malone described Election Day in Memphis is "quiet," with no significant issues reported.

12:15 p.m. ― 'Lunch rush' at Trinity Road precinct

Turnout was heavier around lunchtime today at the Trinity Road precinct, compared to what other precincts saw this morning.

At one point, about 30 voters visited the precinct in a 45-minute period — still fairly sluggish compared to some previous elections.

Keith L. Burks, a candidate in the City Council District 2 race, also stopped by the precinct around noon.

10:50 a.m. ― Who are Frayser residents voting for?

The rain was picking up shortly before 11 a.m. today at the precinct in Frayser, where 15 people had showed up to vote in a 45-minute window.

While most of this morning's voters declined to talk to a reporter from The Commercial Appeal, two women in Frayser shared who was getting their votes.

In the Memphis mayoral race, one voter cast her ballot for Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, citing his experience being sheriff. The other cast her ballot for Downtown Memphis Commission President and CEO Paul Young, noting his business experience and that he is likely to bring more change than other candidates.

Bonner and Young are both considered among the frontrunners in the mayoral race.

The two voters in Frayser said they voted for Michalyn Easter-Thomas in District 7 City Council race.

10 a.m. ― Light turnout reported at Whitehaven, Orange Mound precincts

Precincts in Whitehaven and Orange Mound saw just a trickle of voters earlier this morning.

Shortly after polls opened, only four voters turned out to cast their ballots in a 20-minute period in Whitehaven. Workers at the precinct described turnout so far as "super slow."

Meanwhile, in Orange Mound, six voters visited the precinct in a roughly 30-minute window.

These are usually two of the busier precincts in Memphis elections.

7:15 a.m. ― Mayoral hopeful Paul Young votes

Downtown Memphis Commission President Paul Young, one of the frontrunners in the mayoral race, cast his ballot for himself right after polls opened Thursday morning. He said he was both excited and nervous, but confident he was the right person to lead Memphis forward.

He also joked that "it hadn't rained in two weeks and today it decided to rain," but encouraged those who had not yet cast their votes not to let the weather dampen their spirits.

"We know that this is a very important election," he said. "Whoever wins this race is going to determine the future of our city. We want as many people as possible to make sure that they're making their voices heard."

Young said he would spend the rest of the day visiting polling places and meeting with voters as they make their final decisions.

What hours are the polls open in Memphis?

All polling places for the Memphis Municipal Election opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Memphis voter guide 2023: The hub for mayoral, City Council election coverage

Where is my precinct?

On Election Day, votes must be cast at your assigned precinct. You can look at a map and find your precinct or enter and locate your address.

One precinct will be located in another city council district after the council slightly modified the district map.

Weather in Memphis on Thursday

Make sure to bring an umbrella and rain jacket to the polls. It's going to be a wet Election Day, according to the National Weather Service Memphis office. A NWS forecast indicated there is a 90% chance of rain throughout the day and afternoon temperatures will peak in the low 70s.

If you plan to vote at the end of the day, remember to factor in a little extra driving time due to the wet weather. However, as long as you are in line at your polling place by 7 p.m., you are legally entitled to vote.

More: Memphis Election Day is Oct. 5. When polls open, what to bring and what to know.

What should I bring to the poll?

Any of the following IDs may be used as a valid Tennessee ID, even if they are expired:

• Tennessee driver's license with photo

• United States Passport

• Photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security

• Photo ID issued by the federal or Tennessee state government

• United States Military photo ID

• Tennessee handgun carry permit with your photo.

What if I forget my ID?

If you forget your photo ID, then you will vote on a provisional ballot. After that, you will have two business days after Election Day to return to the election commission office to show a valid photo ID. At that time, the voter will sign an affidavit and a copy of the voter's ID will be sent for review by the counting board.

How do I report problems at the polls?

To report problems at polling places such as voter intimidation or voter fraud, the Shelby County Election Commission offices can be reached at 901-222-1200. Concerns can also be reported to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Division of Elections by calling 1-877-850-4959.

The United States Election Assistance Commission also has information for how to report misinformation or disinformation, voter intimidation, or voter fraud to the appropriate federal authorities on this website.

Can I buy alcohol on Election Day in Tennessee?

According to the Municipal Technical Advisory Service affiliated with the University of Tennessee, "Neither the General Assembly nor the ABC have restricted election-day alcoholic beverage sales. The only days that the state has prohibited alcohol and beer sales are for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter."

While Election Day liquor sales bans were once common across the country, only certain parts of Puerto Rico, Alaska and Massachusetts still had such bans as of January.

Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Jordan.Green@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter@_green_jordan

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis election results: Floyd Bonner concedes, Paul Young still leads