Twenty-five voters in Shelby County cast ballots outside the publicly posted early-voting hours during the midterm elections, and the state says it wants to know why. The Tennessee Election Commission is now reviewing the matter and will decide what, if any, action is warranted against local election officials.
The Tennessee Secretary of State's Office confirmed that 25 voters in Shelby County were allowed to vote outside the county's publicly advertised early voting hours, according to a report. Secretary of State Tre Hargett said the matter would go before the Tennessee Election Commission, which would conduct its own review and, in his words, consider what action is warranted, as reported by The Daily Memphian.
Ben Hill, director of communications for the Secretary of State's Office, said opening polls early for any voter is not allowed under Tennessee law, and that an independent State Election Commission will review what happened and determine why the posted hours were disregarded and what action is warranted, according to ABC24. State law requires voters to appear during posted early voting hours and provides no exception for election officials to deviate from that schedule, per the same report, meaning Shelby County election officials were required to follow the posted hours regardless of circumstance.
Conflicting Accounts Of Where It Happened
Exactly where the 25 ballots were cast is in dispute. The Daily Memphian reported the votes occurred outside posted hours at Glenview Community Center, while WREG reported that the Secretary of State's Office did not specify who the voters were or where and when the alleged voting took place.
Shelby County Administrator of Elections Linda Phillips said she was aware of 18 students who were allowed to vote at one location under what she described as an altered early-voting schedule, the station's report notes. Phillips said the issue would be investigated, telling reporters, “We're investigating and, frankly, we haven't had time to get into it today.” It remains unclear whether all 18 students Phillips referenced were among the 25 voters cited by the state.
A Record Early-Voting Turnout
The scrutiny comes as Shelby County saw a surge in participation this cycle. More than 183,000 ballots were cast during early and absentee voting, a 52% increase from 2022, per the same account. That jump in turnout adds weight to the question of how a scheduling lapse at even one site could affect dozens of voters.
For now, the eligibility of the 25 voters themselves isn't in question. While the voters were eligible to cast ballots, voting must occur during the hours that have been properly noticed in accordance with Tennessee law, the Secretary of State's Office said, according to The Tennessee Star. What remains unresolved is whether those 25 ballots will ultimately be counted and what action, if any, the state election commission will recommend once its review concludes.
