WASHINGTON (AP) — As America heads toward the 2024 elections, the road to the presidency passes through Georgia, one of seven battleground states considered crucial to the fate of anyone hoping to win the White House. Georgia is also one of a handful of southern states up for grabs, having gone to President Joe Biden in 2020 following a string of six consecutive victories there by Republican presidential candidates.
Four years after Biden won the state by fewer than 12,000 votes, the campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have poured financial and tactical resources into the state, based on the theory that the outcome can be determined equally by who does it. doesn’t. t vote like who does.
The question is whether their sales pitches will appeal to everyone. For people on the lower rungs of the economic ladder, there are often more fundamental priorities. Bibb County was a good testing area with its high poverty rate, diverse demographics and large number of apparently eligible voters who stayed home in 2020. Interviews with dozens of women and some men at the lower socio-economic level revealed a possible link between poverty and poverty. turnout that the candidates are trying to overcome.
Wasn’t 2020 a record turnout?
More than 150 million people voted, but even with 2020’s record number of ballots cast, more than 75 million eligible voters did not cast a vote, according to a study by the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California. In Bibb County, about 47,000 eligible people, defined as legal citizens 18 or older, did not.
How do you know that some of those non-voters are poor?
Other data from AP VoteCast, a survey of both voters and non-voters, found that a percentage of those non-voters would be even poorer. The survey found that non-voters in 2020 tended to be poorer, younger, less educated, unmarried and from minorities. The data, collected by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, also shows that 15% of 2020 voters reported having a household income of less than $25,000 in the previous year, compared with about 3 in 10 non- voters. Contrast these characteristics with a population of 27 million adults living below poverty, according to the Census, and the numbers suggest that people on the lower rungs of the economic ladder likely make up a significant share of all nonvoters.
What are the demographics here?
A majority of Bibb County residents are minorities and more than 60% are unmarried. Four in ten are under the age of 30 and almost half have only a high school education. Just over 60% of students in Bibb County schools qualify for free, reduced-price meals, while 36 of the schools offer free, reduced-price meals to all students, a Georgia Department of Education spokeswoman said.
Kathy McCollum, president of the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank, said the poverty rate is 18.5% in the 24 counties served by her organization, including Bibb. She said donations are coming in from retailers, growers, manufacturers and processors. Financial donations increased dramatically during the pandemic in 2020, but have declined. Her organization’s food is distributed to more than 200 partner organizations, which are nonprofits or churches, that distribute to struggling residents and families.
Why does income matter when it comes to voting?
The reasons people gave varied. Some were prevented from attending due to past criminal justice issues. Others had concerns about childcare and transportation. Early voting, especially for those with unstable housing situations, can be difficult because of address requirements. And some didn’t see what the discussions about money for homebuyers, student loan forgiveness and tax cuts for the wealthy meant for them. Linda Solomon, 58, said her care stretches her Social Security disability far enough to cover her apartment rent and utilities. She relies on food banks and organizations like Mother’s Nest in Macon to get her through the tight times. She stopped voting years ago when she decided her circumstances remained the same across multiple administrations.
What is Mother’s Nest?
It is a non-profit organization that started in 2022. With little help, founder and executive director Sabrina Friday recalled her own experiences as a teen mother and saw the need for it. The organization offers a variety of services, including food, clothing, baby furniture and classes ranging from self-care to pediatric CPR and dental clinics. She emphasizes civic engagement, but “when you’re sleeping in a hotel and you’re not sure where your next meal is coming from and your car has been impounded, voting is not high on the priority list.”
Have others noticed?
LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, said she thinks discussions are starting to arise about basic pocketbook issues, such as food costs and housing. But there must be more to entice people ignored by society to see voting as something that can solve their systemic problems. The stock market and unemployment “are not an indicator of how well people are doing.”
Are the campaigns there?
Janiyah Thomas, a Trump campaign official, said the get-out-the-vote efforts are aimed at low-propensity voters. She added that they also rely on volunteers and use traditional recruitment methods, as well as TikTok and third-party groups.
The Harris Campaign has an office in Macon, staffed by six full-time team members focused on reaching communities throughout the region. This also includes recruiting and knocking on doors in lower income areas and other areas. A campaign official said there is also a large national presence in Georgia, targeting lower-income residents.
