Memphis voters approved library civil service, a lobbyist registry and new civil service appeal rules on Tuesday. See the unofficial vote count for each question.
Memphis voters approved all three city charter amendments on Tuesday’s ballot. Library employees can now be given civil service status, and the City Council will have to create a lobbyist registry.
The figures are unofficial. They come from the Shelby County Election Commission’s results page, with all 98 Memphis precincts reporting as of 10:59 p.m. Tuesday. Provisional ballots had not yet been added.
The results
| Question | For | Against | For share |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5966: library civil service | 89,350 | 47,331 | 65.4% |
| No. 5977: lobbyist registry | 103,776 | 31,097 | 76.9% |
| No. 5978: civil service appeals | 86,247 | 48,089 | 64.2% |
The lobbyist registry drew the widest margin. It passed by more than three to one.
What passed
No. 5966: library workers. Employees of the Memphis and Shelby County Public Library can now be given civil service status. That is the merit system that covers hiring, discipline and firing for most city workers. The library’s officers stay exempt, according to the ballot text in the commission’s sample ballot (PDF).
No. 5977: lobbyist registry. The charter now requires the City Council to create a lobbyist registration and disclosure process by ordinance. The amendment does not create the registry itself. The council still has to write it, including who counts as a lobbyist and what they must disclose.
No. 5978: civil service appeals. The council, “in consultation with the Mayor,” can now set uniform procedures by ordinance for appeals that affect a civil service employee’s job. The ballot says those rules cover how appeal boards and hearing panels are made up.
Finance Director Walter Person certified on the ballot that none of the three changes affects the city’s annual revenues or spending.
Our preview of the three questions has the full ballot wording and the council votes that sent each one to voters.
What happens next
The results are not final until the Election Commission certifies them. The commission meets for its audit of the Nov. 3 election at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, according to its meeting agenda (PDF).
After that, the lobbyist registry and the appeal procedures need ordinances from the City Council. Each ordinance needs three readings.
Turnout
Countywide, 257,109 ballots were cast out of 585,373 registered voters, the commission’s results page shows. That is about 43.9%. The figure covers all of Shelby County, not only Memphis.
On the three state constitutional amendments, Shelby County voters said yes to each:
- Amendment 1, on holding some defendants without bail: 130,032 yes, 88,715 no
- Amendment 2, barring a state property tax: 142,135 yes, 105,975 no
- Amendment 3, on crime victims’ rights: 174,040 yes, 72,622 no
Those are Shelby County’s votes only. The statewide result is reported by the Tennessee secretary of state.
What it means for you
- If you work for the library, your job can now come under civil service rules. Ask your human resources office how and when the change applies to your position.
- If you lobby City Hall, expect a registration requirement once the council passes the ordinance. No rules exist yet.
- If you are a city employee facing a civil service appeal, watch for the council’s ordinance. The amendment lets the council set new procedures, and none has been adopted yet.
- To check the count yourself, the commission’s results page breaks each question down by precinct, early voting, Election Day and absentee ballots.
Questions about the results go to the Shelby County Election Commission at 901-222-1200. Our voting guide has the commission’s contact details and the next election dates.
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