MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Early Voting in Shelby County will end on Oct. 31. With time ticking down to Election Day, state lawmakers in Shelby County are once again targeting a group of voters, specifically Black men, and urging them to vote.
During a press conference at the Memphis NAACP Headquarters, Bennie Smith with the Tennessee State Election Commission said he projects 50,000 to 100,000 more women in the state will vote than men in the 2024 election.
Civil Rights Attorney Van Turner said he was fired up and ready to go as early voting will close in Shelby County in less than a week.
Many of leaders, all who were Black men, put a call to action to other Black men in Shelby County and throughout Tennessee to step up and go vote.
Tyre Nichols' father, Rodney Wells, said this election is the most important he's ever participated in.
He said it's up to Black men to do their part because he believes future generations depend on it.
"If we stay on the path that we're on now, our grandchildren will not have the same rights that our grandparents had," Wells said.
Memphis City Council Chairman JB Smiley, Jr. said it's disheartening to hear that some people are opting to not vote. He said with the gun referendum on the ballot, people who are deciding to vote are risking the lives of the youth.
"If we don't stand up and articulate or express our power...our rights will, as we know, continue to be dwindling or diminished away," Smiley said.
There are 605,000 registered voters in Shelby County, but not as many people have decided to cast their ballot.
State Representative Mark White (R-Germantown) said Republicans are pushing efforts to voters.
He said his biggest focus is on education and crime. White said he's also making sure the values of his constituents are represented in Shelby County.
"As the chair of education committee, we continue to work on our school systems all across the state," White said.
White said the Shelby County Young Republicans will host a rally on Saturday, Nov. 2 as a last effort to get people to vote before Election Day.