MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis is two and a half weeks away from finding out who will be its next mayor; however, the election process behind it is being put into perspective for some voters.
A panel discussion at the University of Memphis outlined the impact political hopefuls could have on key issues in the city. Panelists included Professor of Political Science Ebony Dawkins-Meeks, Executive Director of the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change Daphene McFerren and political analyst Otis Sanford.
Topics included transportation, crime and why the city no longer has a runoff election for mayor.
During the panel, students in the crowd were urged to vote, since 35% of registered voters in the election are younger than 37 years old, and a mayor could be decided by less than 30% of the vote, according to Sanford.
"I didn't know that we didn't have runoff and that there were so many candidates participating, and so a fraction of the votes could make a huge difference. So my takeaway is voting here at least might actually do something pretty big," said University of Memphis junior Ari People.
Election day is October 5th, but early voting is already underway until September 30th. More than 5,000 people cast their ballot the first two days of early voting in Memphis.
ABC24 has been profiling candidates vying for the role of mayor of Memphis. Click here to learn more about who's running.
For highlights from ABC24's mayoral debate with some of the race's top candidates, click here.