MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Now that the Shelby County Commission has finished the painstaking process of resetting commission district lines, you might be asking yourself, what really has changed. The answer is, not much.
Sure, commissioners moved around some voting precincts from one district to another. But overall, this group of elected officials was careful not to make any drastic changes that could mean a sitting commissioner might not get reelected next year. In fact, the only current commissioner greatly affected by the redistricting process is Mark Billingsley. But he is term limited and cannot seek reelection.
Redrawing district lines was necessary based on results from the 2020 census. Some areas of the county – particularly inside the Memphis city limits – lost considerable population over the past 10 years. But the new lines were drawn to compensate for those population losses. So it’s highly unlikely that the commission’s current political makeup of eight Democrats and five Republicans will change after the county general election next year. Seven current first-term commissioners are planning to seek reelection.
For the most part, this commission closely reflects the racial and political diversity that defines Memphis and Shelby County. You have some outspoken left-leaning Democrats, one or two very conservative Republicans, and moderates from both parties. All of which is fine as long as commissioners are getting thing done.
So in the end, redistricting does not mean all that much.
