Shelandra Yvette Ford

2026 Candidacy

• Democratic candidate for Shelby County Register of Deeds in the May 5, 2026 primary. Campaign sites from prior runs include reelectshelandrayford.com and justmymemphis.com/shelandraford. (Ballotpedia)

Prior office

• Shelby County Register of Deeds, 2018–2022. First elected African American and first woman elected to the office. Lost the May 3, 2022 Democratic primary for re-election to Willie F. Brooks, Jr. (Ballotpedia, JustMyMemphis)
• As Register, created a free property fraud alert program, opened satellite offices (Downtown, Southbrook Mall), upgraded office systems to enable e-filing, and lobbied the state to allow ID requirements for deed filings. (JustMyMemphis)
• In November 2019 publicly clashed with the Shelby County Commission over archives staffing funding. (Daily Memphian)

Prior candidacies

• 2024 Democratic primary for Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk — lost to Tami Sawyer. (Ballotpedia, Commercial Appeal via Yahoo)

Career

• 24+ years in Shelby County government, including work with the Shelby County Health Department and 6.5 years as principal court clerk at General Sessions.
• Currently Deputy Treasurer for the City of Memphis (as of 2024 reporting). (Commercial Appeal via Yahoo)

Education

• Bachelor's degree, Bethel University (Tennessee) — reported as B.S. in Management and Organizational Development. (Shelby County Register's office bio)

Background

• Memphis native. Describes herself as a single parent raising three grandchildren. (JustMyMemphis)

In her words

• On deed fraud: "Fraudulent deed filing is up by 33%. We have people's homes being stolen in the middle of the night." (JustMyMemphis)
• On the archives: "I literally walked into the archives and found permanent records in garbage bags." (JustMyMemphis)
• "I lead with integrity and transparency. Being an elected official isn't about being in a clique or a fraternity; it's about reporting to work every day and doing what you said you were going to do." (JustMyMemphis)

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

Statement of interest (Tennessee Ethics Commission)

• 2026 — Register of Deeds (SS-8005) — filed as a Shelby County official/candidate
• 2024 — General Sessions Court Clerk (SS-8005) — filed as a Shelby County official/candidate

Source: Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest Search. Scraped 2026-04-25.