Wanda Halbert

Current office

• Shelby County Clerk since 2018. Her current second (and final, under term limits) term ends September 1, 2026. (Ballotpedia, Shelby County official bio)
• Won re-election on August 5, 2022, with 64,400 votes over Jeff Jacobs (53,800) and independent Harold Smith (13,400). (Action News 5, Aug 2022)

2026 candidacies

In February 2026, Halbert filed petitions for three Democratic primary races for the May 5, 2026 primary: County Clerk (despite term limits), County Trustee, and Criminal Court Clerk. (WREG, Action News 5, Feb 2026)

Prior offices

• Memphis City Council, District 4 (elected 2007, served until ~2015).
• Memphis Board of Education, 2000 to 2007 (former Board President).
• Cited in her official county bio as the second African American woman elected to a city-wide office in Memphis. (Shelby County official bio)

Education & prior career

• Kirby High School.
• Attended State Technical Institute at Memphis, Bethel College, and the University of Memphis (organizational management).
• 33+ years as an IT Division administrator at FedEx Services; also worked with the Black Business Association and Peerless Properties Real Estate Agency. (Shelby County official bio)

Ouster proceedings

Halbert has been the subject of ongoing ouster proceedings. After Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy recused, Hamilton County DA Coty Wamp was brought in to investigate. A first ouster petition was dismissed in June 2024 (jurisdictional grounds). A second petition was filed in August 2024 by Shelby County Attorney Marlinee Iverson. The Tennessee Supreme Court denied Halbert's appeal, and a trial was set for May 1, 2026 — four days before the primary. (Action News 5, Apr 2026, Fox 13 Memphis, Local Memphis)

Allegations include inaccurate or untimely financial reporting, strain on auto dealerships, comptroller deficiencies, leasing issues, and a $40,000 unpaid Millington rent dispute. A 2025 audit found the clerk's office could not provide bank reconciliation records or an annual financial report for FY 2025. (WREG, 2025 audit, Action News 5, Oct 2025)

In a 2025 press conference responding to the second ouster case, Halbert said: "I love this work. We're not sitting on our hands. We are the day-to-day revenue generator for Shelby County Government, and I'm proud of the work our team and our leadership have put forth." She also said: "So if anyone tells you that Wanda Halbert intentionally did anything out of order, I can absolutely tell you, that's not true." (Action News 5, Oct 2025)

Earlier controversy

In 2022, the County Clerk's office had a significant license plate backlog; the county redirected funds to the mayor's mail room for plate distribution. Halbert announced the backlog was cleared on July 28, 2022, though customer complaints continued. (Action News 5, Aug 2022)

Family

Two adult sons, Andre' and Stephon (the latter an Assistant Attorney General in Washington, D.C.), and a granddaughter. (Shelby County official bio)

Compiled from publicly available web sources on 2026-04-18.

Public filings

Tennessee law requires candidates and officeholders to file campaign finance reports and a statement of interest. None of the state or county sites below supports direct links to an individual record — you'll need to search by last name on each.

Campaign finance

• State offices (Governor, US Senate, US Rep, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee) — Tennessee Registry of Election Finance . Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Halbert”, and submit.
• Shelby County and municipal offices (County Mayor, Commissioner, Sheriff, School Board, court clerks, municipal alderman, etc.) — Shelby County Public Campaign Finance Portal . Select the election year and search by candidate name (“Halbert”).

Statement of interest (conflict of interest)

• Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search . Enter last name “Halbert”and, if needed, select the applicable position from the dropdown.