Early voting is underway in Shelby County. The graphic below provides important voting dates and hours for early voting and the November 3 election.
Early Voting: October 14–29
Election Day: Tuesday, November 3 | 7 a.m.–7 p.m.
You can visit the Shelby County Election Commission to view sample ballots, find voting locations, and get additional information.
What's on Your Ballot?
November 3, 2026 General Election
Voters will consider three proposed amendments to the Tennessee Constitution. Memphis voters will also decide on three proposed amendments to the City Charter.
Tennessee Constitutional Amendments
Amendment 1: Right to Bail
What it proposes:
Allows judges to deny bail for additional serious criminal charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated rape, and certain other offenses. Currently, judges can deny bail outright only for first-degree murder.
What it could mean:
A person could remain in jail while awaiting trial for certain serious offenses, even if they have not been found guilty.
Amendment 2: State Property Tax
What it proposes:
Prohibits Tennessee from creating a statewide property tax. Tennessee does not currently have one. Local property taxes, including those in Memphis and Shelby County, would remain unchanged.
What it could mean:
Would prevent a statewide property tax in the future, even if the state legislature decided it wanted one. It does not change current local property taxes.
Amendment 3: Victims' Rights (Marsy's Law)
What it proposes:
Clarifies constitutional rights for crime victims, including notification of court proceedings, participation in certain hearings, restitution, and information about an offender's release. Victims currently have many similar rights under statute, but not under the state constitution.
What it could mean:
It would ensure that victims and their families have various rights to participate in the criminal justice process, rights which could not be altered by the state legislature.
City of Memphis Referendums
These three measures will appear on the ballot for Memphis voters only.
Referendum 1: Library Employees (Ordinance 5966)
What it proposes:
Extends civil service protections to many Memphis public library employees, affecting employment protections and the ability to challenge personnel decisions.
What it could mean:
More library employees would have civil service protections, which could make it harder to terminate employees and would provide a formal appeal process.
Referendum 2: Lobbyist Registration (Ordinance 5977)
What it proposes:
Requires the Memphis City Council to establish a registration and disclosure process for lobbyists.
What it could mean:
Would increase transparency by requiring lobbyists to register and disclose their activity when trying to influence city decisions.
Referendum 3: Civil Service Appeals (Ordinance 5978)
What it proposes:
Authorizes the Memphis City Council, in consultation with the mayor, to establish uniform procedures for city employees appealing employment-related decisions, including the composition of hearing panels.
Currently, civil service employees in Memphis have certain defined rights to appeal firings, demotions, etc., within a certain time, with certain hearing procedures.
What it could mean:
Existing appeal rights and procedures would no longer be guaranteed by the City Charter. Instead, the City Council and the mayor could change existing appeal rights and procedures—for example, to make them more streamlined.
Working Together for a Safer and Stronger Shelby County