TheVoiceOfJoyce Tennessee struggles to redistrict their maps in 3 days. It’s a 60/40 state and instead of negating Memphis, where MLK,Jr was shot , Tennessee should have to Democratic districts representing the population. You can have your voices heard now, before redistricting is complete. Local voting proceeded and the incumbents won. Stop Memphis from being eliminated and protest!

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Keep us strong. You power public media.Donate todayWednesday, May 6, 2026Good morning! Emily SinerYesterday was the first day of Tennessee’s special session concerning the redistricting of our state, and lots happened. We’ll get to that.

But first, some local election news. We also had a local primary — and with zero Republican candidates on the local ballot, the election was a decisive one.

  • Nashville voters chose a new county clerk: Sharon Hurt, the former at-large Metro Councilmember.
  • Two new judges were elected: Dawn Deaner and Corletra Mance.
  • On the school board, two incumbents faced challengers but held their positions: Berthena Nabaa-McKinney and Cheryl Mayes. Two other board members won unopposed — Rachel Anne Elrodand Erin O’Hara Block — and the board is likely to maintain its steady resistance to expanding charter schools.

You can find full results here from Metro Reporter Cynthia Abrams.

The next planned election in Tennessee is for statewide primaries, on Aug. 6. That, however, could look a lot different if leaders in the state legislature get their way.

WHAT TO KNOW

Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, center, links arms and leads a march up the steps of the Tennessee Capitol. Credit: Marianna Bacallao / WPLN NewsTo recap: Tennessee’s Republican supermajority is heeding a call from President Donald Trump to give the GOP more seats in Congress.

Gov. Bill Lee — initially hesitant about the timeline — called the special session after a phone call with the president. Lawmakers will likely only have three days to redistrict, a process that usually takes months.

So what happened on Day 1?

➡️ Hundreds of protesters marched to the Tennessee Capitol. Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, helped lead the protest and told WPLN News that these new maps threaten to undo years of progress for Black voters. “Mid-decade redistricting is new but attempts to take away the voting rights of Black people is not new,” Pearson said.

➡️ A Republican-led rules committee struck down Democratic proposals to give the public more feedback in the redistricting process, either by holding public feedback meetings with constituents or by releasing the proposed maps publicly 72 hours before a final vote. The House Ad Hoc Committee also voted to ban disruptive observers from the entirety of the special session.

➡️ A group of protesters in the room stood up and began singing the “Star Spangled Banner” while some shouted obscenities at committee members.

➡️ Martin Luther King III sent a letter to Tennessee legislative leaders expressing “grave concern” about the plan to divide Memphis’ congressional representation. “This decision undermines the work that my father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., carried out to help secure passage of the Voting Rights Act,” he wrote, noting that his father was assassinated in Memphis. 

➡️ Not all Republicans seem enthusiastic. State Rep. Mark White, from Memphis, told local reporters that he doesn’t think “now is the time” to redistrict. Rep. Michele Reneau, R-Signal Mountain, asked her constituents to weigh in. “In the last presidential election, Tennessee voters split roughly 60% Republican and 40% Democrat,” Reneau wrote. “A proportional approach would reflect that balance more closely than a map designed for a single-party outcome.”

Hearings on the new maps begin this morning.

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On today’s episode of the NashVillagerpodcast 
with host Nina Cardona 🎙️ 

Who was Sen. Anna Belle Clement O’Brien? She might have become known as a political grand dame just for playing an important supporting role in the careers of the men in her family, but this woman decided her place was in the House and Senate, too. Plus, the local news for May 6, 2026, and this week’s edition of What Where Whens-day.

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MORE TO KNOW

  • Dolly Parton has canceled her planned Las Vegas residency due to health challenges that leave her feeling “swimmy headed,” she said this week. “The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments, and I’m improving every day,” the 80-year-old country superstar said on Instagram. “And of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars, and such on five-inch heels.” She didn’t share many details about her health, but said she’s had problems with kidney stones and her immune and digestive systems. She is still working on opening her museum and hotel in Nashville, as well as her forthcoming Broadway musical. [Associated Press]
     
  • Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s $3.8 billion budget proposal marks the first time during his tenure that the spending amount stayed the same year over year. Last year’s budget, also at $3.8 billion, was a 15% increase from the previous year, driven by a substantial property tax increase. Since then, many Nashvillians — particularly local business owners — have sounded the alarm on rising property tax bills. The contents of the proposed budget are still different this year, reflecting the priorities announced in O’Connell’s annual State of Metro address, including a grocery tax reduction, local business support and affordable housing investment. [WPLN]
     
  • A federal investigation into Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles may soon wind down without the FBI reviewing key evidence. Officials had been looking into potential campaign finance fraud dating to Ogles’ first run for Congress four years ago — but the Department of Justice has now agreed to return or destroy evidence it seized from Ogles’ phone and email, a sign that investigators could be dropping the case. Ogles has also been expected to face a serious challenge in this fall’s election, but the current redistricting effort underway at the statehouse could afford him some cushioning. [NewsChannel 5]

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