Why should we care?
SCS’s ability to provide a quality, equitable education is being undercut by high teacher turnover and year-long teaching vacancies, as well as significant maintenance deficiencies within the schools, all of which leads to higher financial, educational, and health costs. A lack of access to wraparound services provided by qualified social workers, psychologists, and nurses inhibits the successful treatment of trauma or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). Abuse, neglect, and trauma significantly increase the likelihood of suspensions, juvenile criminal behavior, and incarceration. With a median age four years below the national average, Memphis’s population can support economic development, but only if we provide children in our community access to opportunities and support.
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Equipping people of faith and goodwill to organize communities for systemic change through collective action.
Early voting has started, meaning we are one step closer to electing the Memphis Shelby County School Board we need!
Let’s get a plan together!
Election Protection Hotlines:
If you or someone you know, or if you see someone else experiencing a voting issue, report it to the Election Protection Hotline.
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English: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)
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Spanish: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (1-888-839-8682)
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Asian Languages: 1-888-API-VOTE (1-888-274-8683)
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Arabic: 1-844-YALLA-US (1-844-925-5287)
Step 1: Check Your Registration
Are you one of the 593,684 voters in Shelby County? Not sure? No worries—check your status here. If you’re not yet a 901 voter, registering online is a breeze and only takes a few minutes.
Step 2: See What’s On the Ballot
The August 1st election includes the County General Election and State/Federal Primaries. In addition to voting on Shelby County School Board, you'll also be voting for General Sessions Court Clerk, plus primaries for US and TN state and house positions. Take a peek at a sample ballot here.
To learn more about the school board candidates, you can also rewatch the School Board Candidate Forum that the MICAH Education Equity Task Force and Chalkbeat TN co-hosted or read our School Board Voter Guide.
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The MICAH Youth Council has also reached out to candidates running for Tennessee State Legislature and complied a voter guide for those seats as well. Check out that State Legislature Election Voter Guide to get more familiar with the entire ballot!
Step 3: Make Your Voting Plan
Let’s map it out:
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When will you be voting?
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Where will you be voting?
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And who are you going with?
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Here’s what you need to know:
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Early Voting: July 12 – July 27, 2024
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A perk of early voting, is you can go to any location to cast your ballot.
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Absentee Ballot Request Deadline: July 25, 2024
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Election Day: August 1, 2024, 7am-7pm
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Remember, if you decide to vote on Election Day, you must go to your assigned precinct, which you can find here.
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Step 4: Spread the word!
The best part of voting is getting others to vote with you. If you have not yet joined in on one of our voter engagement events, there's still time! We have multiple door knocking and phone banking opportunities coming up all over the city.
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Sat, Jul 13, 9:30am–12:30pm- Canvass and Phone Bank and Shelby County Voter Alliance Poll Party
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Thu, Jul 18, 5:00pm–8:00pm- Canvass and Phone Bank
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Sat, Jul 20, 9:30am–12:30pm- Canvass
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Mon, Jul 22, 6:00pm–8:30pm- Phone Bank and Postcard Writing at MICAH Issues Night!
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Thu, Aug 1, 9:00am–8:00pm- Election Hub!
Sign up now for one or more days to make a direct impact on voter turnout!
We also have paid canvassing opportunities on all of our canvassing dates. Interested canvassers can sign up here.
Contact ron@micahmemphis.org for more details.
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That's all there is to it. To create the Beloved Community in Tennessee, we need elected leaders who represent our values and we can make that happen at the ballot box.
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Election Protection Information
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If you or someone you know, or if you see someone else experiencing a voting issue, report it to the Election Protection Hotline. Any reports from Tennessee will be directed to Organize Tennessee, who will work with partners and a team of pro bono lawyers to review and address issues in real time.
The hotline is also available in Spanish, Asian Languages, and Arabic:
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English: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)
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Spanish: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (1-888-839-8682)
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Asian Languages: 1-888-API-VOTE (1-888-274-8683)
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Arabic: 1-844-YALLA-US (1-844-925-5287)
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You can also contact Disability Rights Tennessee at 1-800-342-1660 to report any disability-related voting issues. The Election Protection Hotline will have different operating hours each day, so if someone does not answer immediately, please leave a message and a legal volunteer will call you back as soon as possible.
See you at the polls!