Memphis City Council Committee Pushes Forwards With Proposal To Change Mayoral Election Processes
Image: City Hall on Main Street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee Image Credit: Thomas R Machnitzki / CC
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A new proposal could lead to a referendum for voters on changes to mayoral elections after a Memphis City Council committee unanimously voted to push it forward to the full Council.
After residents complained about the current election regulations, Councilman Martavius Jones made a proposal to add primaries to the election process. However, discussion led to an alteration of that original proposal.
With 17 candidates in the upcoming October 5th mayoral election, and no plan for a run-off election, the winner is likely to have less than 50% of the votes cast.
Thirty years ago, a judge decreed that run-off elections were prohibited in both the city’s mayoral and district super-district elections, in an effort to maintain the integrity of the race.
“Opinions expressed to me is that the public needs a way to whittle down the number of people running in the race,” Jones said.
Originally, the ordinance proposed by Jones called for the city’s charter to be amended so that parties could hold primary elections before the full election took place.
Jones said that legal costs with challenges in federal court could be avoided if the format was changed to include primaries.
Councilmen Dr. Jeff Warren and Chase Carlisle disagreed, saying that the change would create disruptive politics in a council that has worked well together in the past.
“This body has been exemplary as far as working in a non-partisan way,” Carlisle said. “We did not know one another when we started during COVID lockdown, and we have always found a way to work things out.”
Warren said that the council should take the time to consider all of the options.
“I think the intent is good, but I don’t think this is what we need to do at this point,” Warren said.
Councilman JB Smiley, Jr. said that an attorney is likely to challenge whatever change is made to the election process.
Smiley did say, however, that offering residents an alternative election route is crucial.
“Do you want the next mayor of Memphis to lead a city with 630,000 votes with less than 20,00 votes?” he asked.
