The final stretch of this year’s marathon midterm election season has officially begun. During the primaries, Black voters once again turned out in record numbers. They’re expected to play a major part in the outcome of key statewide races. Affordable housing, crime, jobs, inflation, and health care — including abortion rights — are just some […]
Voting
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South Georgia’s Black Voters Tell Us The Election Issues That Hit Close to Home
Before, during and after the Nov. 8 midterm election in Georgia, Capital B Atlanta will be speaking with Black voters to hear your thoughts and share your stories. From the campaign trail to local events, “What Black Voters Are Saying” wants to document the issues most important to you. Want to share your story? Hit […]
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Young Black Voters Motivated by Issues, Not Candidates
It’s a late Saturday morning at Fort Valley State University, and Jayden Williams is sounding the alarm like Dap Dunlap in “School Daze.” “Knock knock! It’s time to vote!” the 19-year-old shouted inside a residence hall just before noon in mid-September. Williams serves as the youth and college division president for the Georgia NAACP. He […]
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Black Voting Rights Activists Struggling With Burnout, Lack of Funding
Community organizer Hannah Gebresilassie is tired, but undeterred. On any given week, Gebresilassie and her fellow activists with Protect the Vote GA, a nonpartisan voter engagement nonprofit, spend an estimated 20 to 30 hours working to ensure Black and brown Georgians have equal access to the ballot box. That’s on top of the 40 hours […]
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How LaTosha Brown Is Rewriting the Playbook for Engaging Black Voters
LaTosha Brown has spent the last quarter century focused on community organizing and other political work in the South. Brown is the 51-year-old voting rights activist and multitasking grandmother from Selma, Alabama, who co-founded Black Voters Matter in 2012 along with fellow activist Cliff Albright. BVM is a nonpartisan voting rights and community empowerment organization that engages […]
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Black Voters in Conyers and Stonecrest Talk Inflation Woes and Midterm Election Hopes
EDITOR’S NOTE Before, during and after the Nov. 8 midterm election in Georgia, Capital B Atlanta will be speaking with Black voters to hear your thoughts and share your stories. From the campaign trail to local events, “What Black Voters Are Saying” wants to document the issues most important to you. Want to share your […]
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We Hit the Polls to Talk to Black Voters. Here’s What They Had to Say.
It’s runoff election day here in Georgia, and despite the record temperatures expected to take over this week, Black voters throughout metro Atlanta showed up to cast their ballots for a second time in 28 days. Record-high early voting turnout during this midterm cycle helped bring out 795,000 voters statewide during the May 24 primary, […]
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Political Reporter’s Notebook: Record-high early voting, Atlanta bids to host 2024 DNC
The final countdown is underway! Primary election day takes place on Tuesday, May 24. The state has seen a major spike in early voting this election cycle and it’s ignited a debate about Black voter suppression. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is pushing for the city to host the Democratic National Convention in 2024. Dickens also […]
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Record-high early voting turnout leads to debate over voter suppression
This story has been updated. Voting rights activists are celebrating record-high turnout for early voting this primary election season and pushing back against Republican operatives who argue that the influx of ballots disproves their concerns about voter suppression. More than 700,000 people have voted early as of Thursday, according to the Georgia secretary of state’s […]
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What Black Voters Should Know Ahead of Election Season in Georgia
Record turnout from Black Georgia voters in the 2020 elections and January 2021 runoffs helped secure a win for President Joe Biden and two Democratic U.S. Senate seats. The numbers — 4.9 million votes cast in the presidential election alone — are even more impressive when you consider the challenges voters experienced in 2020: hours-long […]