SHELBY COUNTY — The Shelby County Election Commission announced during a media briefing that precinct boundaries and election dates for the August election will remain unchanged following recent redistricting. The commission also outlined revised maps, updated lookup tools, new candidate filing deadlines, and a state funding request to implement the changes.

Because U.S. Congressional district lines are not required to follow precinct locations, no precinct location changes for the August election will result from redistricting. All election dates and times, including early voting and election day, will remain the same.

"Obviously, we'd like as much time as we can possibly get, but our office is required to execute elections according to the law; and last week's redistricting plans present an aggressive timeline for our team, but we will do our job effectively and execute the August election according to the new parameters, unless instructed otherwise," said Linda Phillips, the Administrator of Elections for Shelby County. The new qualifying deadline for U.S. Congressional seats is Friday, May 15 at noon.

Anyone who originally qualified to run for a congressional district seat can still run but must notify the state coordinator whether they plan to run in the same district or a different district. New congressional candidates can pick up a petition from the commission but must file the petition in Nashville by the May 15 deadline.

Revised maps are available from the commission's home page through a direct link to the state website. The district lookup tool has been updated by the state and is available through shelbyvote.com, where voters can enter their address and see whether their congressional district has changed. A local district lookup tool is expected to be available on the website early next week.

"We have requested and expect to receive about $350,000 from the state that will allow us to pay overtime costs and vendor rush fees, and mail information to voters whose precincts have changed," Phillips said. The commission will certify the unofficial May primary election results on Thursday, May 21, during its regular commission meeting.