MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The United States is just over a month away from election day, and the race for the White House is on.
This has become a contentious battle between Republicans and Democrats, as Americans decide whether to vote for former President Donald Trump or current Vice President Kamala Harris. But how voters will cast their vote this year has changed.
According to MIT Election Data, there has been a growing number of Americans who have decided to forgo in-person voting the day of the election, and instead opt-in to early voting or using mail-in ballots. In 2022, there were more votes cast in these two methods than in-person votes on election day.
This sentiment looks like it could continue. In response to a Nextdoor post by ABC24, close to 100 people said they would vote early. This has become a passion Shelby County Election Commission Administrator Linda Phillips has seen first hand, especially after record numbers of people registered to vote following celebrity endorsements.
“On a typical day, we’ll get 500 online registrations," Phillips said. "When Taylor Swift tweeted out you should make sure you’re registered to vote, we got some 4,000 to 6,000 that day.”
The admin said this is best time for people to be voter ready. Voter registration is open through Oct. 7, and can be done either in-person at the Election Commission Office, online at GoVoteTN.gov, or by mail. Come election day., it is important to have a Photo ID ready.
According to the Shelby County Election Commission, valid IDs include:
- A Tennessee State issued driver license with your photo
- United States Passport
- Photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security
- Photo ID issued by the federal or Tennessee state government
- United States Military photo ID
- Tennessee handgun carry permit with your photo
“Early voting starts Oct. 16, and voters can vote at any of the 26 locations," Phillips said. "Hours right now are scheduled to be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., but it’s possible we’ll expand those the second week of early voting."
According to the Election Commission, the slowest times for early voting is in the afternoon, Friday night and Saturdays.