The Fight to Engage Georgia Voters is the Most Urgent of Our Times

Erica Clemmons-Dean, Chair of ProGeorgia's Board of Directors

Over five million people turned out in the 2020 general election and four and a half million in the 2021 Senate runoffs. This means that in the midst of a pandemic and despite all the other social issues being faced at the time, Georgians turned out to the polls in record numbers to make their voices heard and ensure their demands were met. 

Fair and free elections are the hallmark of a strong democracy. Even with 95% of eligible Georgians registered to vote, however, for too many, our elections are becoming more difficult to participate in as barriers to the ballot box continue to increase. Despite these challenges, Georgians remain laser focused on doing their part to protect and defend our democracy at all costs. 

This work has never been more urgent and the time to act has never been more ripe than now. The 2020 Census illuminated the demographic shifts across the state that are not only making our populations more diverse, but shifting the interests of those who live here. However, along with those demographic shifts comes efforts to undermine and stifle the voting power of those groups. 

Georgia was one of the battlegrounds for the civil rights movement, and that legacy of service and civic engagement continues to drive our work today. The path to economic and social justice runs through the ballot box, but our work doesn’t stop there. National Voter Registration Day provided a powerful reminder that we must not only do the important work of registering as many eligible Georgians to vote as possible, but also that we continue fostering excitement about civic engagement among them. 

We must double down and devote time, resources, and energy into tapping the rich well of new voters and those who may be skeptical about the voting process. That engagement will be key to shaping the Georgia we want to see for generations to come. 

Just as importantly, following the sweeping voting changes that were enacted under SB 202, we must ensure that those new voters can not only vote, but also follow the necessary steps to ensure their votes are counted. That includes widespread voter education campaigns about the new ID requirement and the mandate that voters only cast a ballot at their designated polling location. Maintaining understanding, confidence, and excitement in voters will ensure that they show up to the polls for every election, and that they bring their families and members of their community with them. 

To learn more about how you can help register voters, to check your voter registration information or to learn about how you can help ProGeorgia educate voters on the importance of civic engagement, visit GoVoteGA.org.