President Barack Obama carried Shelby County in unofficial Nov. 6 election returns as his Republican challenger Mitt Romney took the state’s 11 electoral votes.

Voter turnout in the most popular election cycle among Shelby County voters was 61.9 percent, about the same percentage as four years ago. But the 371,256 voters is fewer than 2008 when more than 400,000 Shelby County voters cast ballots. The percentage is about the same because there are fewer registered voters in Shelby County than there were four years ago after a purge by election officials.

2. Shelby Early Vote Shows Cohen Winning - Two Tax Questions Losing - Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Early vote totals from Shelby County were released just before 10 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 6, after the vote count was delayed in part by long lines of voters waiting to vote at the 7 p.m. closing of polls.

3. Gay, Transgender City Workers Protected From Discrimination - Thursday, October 18, 2012

At the end of a long night at City Hall with a relatively short agenda, Shelby County Commissioner Sidney Chism told Memphis City Council members that their meetings looked like more “fun” than the commission’s meetings.

4. Suburban School Board Races Almost Set - Friday, August 17, 2012

Races on the Nov. 6 ballot for six sets of suburban school boards took shape Thursday, Aug. 16, at the noon filing deadline for candidate qualifying petitions.

The candidates that made the deadline have another week to withdraw from the races if they wish.

5. Surprises Possible as Primary Filing Deadline Nears - Thursday, February 18, 2010

Although today marks the filing deadline for the May 4 Shelby County primaries and independent candidates on the Aug. 5 county general election ballot, plenty of political drama remains.

In fact, the filing deadline is often just as important – and surprising – as election day.

6. Herenton Prepares For Next Political Chapter - Friday, July 31, 2009

Retirement may be upon him, but he won’t be spending hours at the golf course, adding Hawaiian shirts to his wardrobe or hitting the road for long delayed vacations.

Now that Willie Herenton has driven out of the City Hall garage for the last time, he’s preparing to channel all his stamina, his unique status as the city’s first black mayor and a deep competitive streak into a new brand of politics.

7. Life After City Hall: The story behind Herenton’s Washington surprise - Thursday, May 07, 2009

You would think that Mayor Willie Herenton’s “resignation” last spring as he thought about trying out for Memphis City Schools superintendent would be difficult to top.

8. Thompson Trial Set for March 31 - Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Former Shelby County Commissioner Bruce Thompson's pending corruption trial appears to be on a fast track. U.S. District Jon P. McCalla this week set a March 31 trial date on the charges of extortion and mail fraud.

9. Commission Distances Itself From Salton Cos. - Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Shelby County Commissioners have taken at least a temporary step back from a construction contractor whose name has surfaced in the most recent federal corruption investigation.

The two-week delay this week in approving a $274,422 contract with Salton Cos. LLC came less than a week after former County Commissioner Bruce Thompson was indicted on federal extortion and mail fraud charges.