Macon, Georgia – At Mother’s Nest, a local organization providing essential resources for mothers, executive director Sabrina Friday posed a question to the attendees about their voting intentions. Out of the 30 participants, predominantly women, only six raised their hands in affirmation. Friday emphasized the importance of civic engagement, but acknowledged the obstacles her clients face in their daily lives.
“When a mother is living in a cramped hotel room, struggling to feed her children after losing her car, discussions about elections feel distant,” she commented. “They need immediate support and assistance.”
Macon is the largest city in Bibb County, an area where a significant number of residents are Black, and roughly one in four live in poverty. When Joe Biden assumed the presidency, he vowed to address the longstanding issues of racial equity, a particularly pressing challenge in this swing state, significant for its potential impact on the upcoming presidential election.
Located around 80 miles south of Atlanta, Bibb County presents a challenge for Vice President Kamala Harris, as she will need to strengthen her support in this area to potentially overcome Donald Trump in the upcoming election. This strategy previously aided Biden’s victory in the state, where he pledged to uplift Black Americans. However, the road is steep; many jobs lost during the pandemic have yet to return, and current labor statistics indicate that there are fewer jobs in Bibb County now than there were in 2019 under Trump.
Trump, the former president, believes he has a chance to connect with Black voters, particularly men. Yet, both he and Harris face hurdles in motivating those who traditionally refrain from voting. In the 2020 election, over 47,000 eligible voters in Bibb County abstained from voting, a figure that is four times larger than Biden’s overall margin of victory in Georgia. According to census data, eligible voters are defined as residents aged 18 and above.
The Biden administration has claimed significant accomplishments in addressing three out of four major crises from its agenda: the impact of the pandemic has diminished, the economy shows signs of recovery, and substantial federal funding has been allocated to combat climate change. However, racial inequality, as reported by the Federal Reserve, continues to be a growing concern.
Linda Solomon, 58, voiced her disenchantment with the voting process, explaining that she and her daughter had opted against participating because they feel their situation remains unchanged regardless of who is in office. “What’s the point of voting if nothing changes?” she queried.
Although Harris has garnered enthusiasm among Black voters in wealthier regions around Atlanta, sentiments expressed in Bibb County reveal a stark contrast. While Democrats dominated the county by a 2-1 margin in 2020, Republicans now express confidence in reducing that gap among Black voters who have historically supported Democratic candidates.
Janiyah Thomas, Black media director for the Trump campaign, shared in an email that “Black voters in rural America hold the key to America’s future; President Trump has demonstrated his capability to deliver tangible results.” Thomas pointed out that Black unemployment fell to record lows during Trump’s first term, though it dipped even lower under Biden, reaching 4.8% in April 2023. Currently, the rate stands at 5.6%, indicating a significant disparity compared to white workers and those of Asian and Hispanic descent.
Thomas highlighted that their mobilization efforts are particularly geared toward low-propensity voters, employing both traditional outreach methods and modern platforms like TikTok. She estimated these efforts would encompass outreach to around 15 million homes across critical battleground areas.
The Harris campaign is maintaining a presence on the ground level, with six staff members working from the Macon office and focusing on canvassing in disadvantaged neighborhoods. They assert that lower-income voters primarily consume news through mobile devices and are leveraging a significant digital advertising budget of $200 million to connect with these voters.
During her campaign, Harris has centered her messages around middle-class concerns, introducing plans tailored for small businesses and home buyers. However, in areas like Macon, these initiatives may struggle to make an impact, as the patrons at Mother’s Nest are not positioned as business owners or prospective home buyers due to their current financial struggles. Additionally, her campaign’s plan to tackle grocery store price hikes is less relevant in regions that face food scarcity.
The perspectives of these patrons reflect broader sentiments among registered Black voters, with many holding a positive view of Harris, yet only half believing that the 2024 presidential election will materially affect their lives, according to a recent poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
In contrast to the subdued atmosphere in rural areas like Bibb County, excitement peaks in Atlanta and its affluent suburbs, with both Harris and Trump enjoying high levels of enthusiasm, often starkly divided by race.
A recent presidential debate watch party attracted numerous local residents in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood. Hosted by the owner and former Howard University graduate Karimah McFarlane, the event featured panel discussions emphasizing the importance of mobilizing young Black male voters. Attendees were met with a voter registration table equipped with pertinent information about Georgia’s voting processes.
McFarlane articulated that Atlanta’s appeal to small business owners is bolstered by a friendly atmosphere, but newcomers often find the voting process daunting, particularly concerning absentee voting.
Meanwhile, a voter registration event at Spelman College targeted first-time voters. Co-hosted by members of Harris’ sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and their Alpha Phi Alpha brothers from Morehouse College, the occasion drew eager registrants well before its official start time, demonstrating a strong interest among students. While official campaigning for Harris was not permitted, attendees voiced their opinions freely.
Caleb Cage, a 21-year-old religion student at Morehouse, noted an increasing enthusiasm for Harris, particularly among his peers. He shared his perspective on the importance of voting: “To echo sentiments shared by our Morehouse brother, Sen. Raphael Warnock, a vote is a prayer for the future world you wish to create.”
Yet, awareness exists that messages resonating on a college campus may not reach wider demographics. Elise Sampson, a 20-year-old political science major at Spelman, pointed out that discussions on economic disparities are critical. “It boils down to accessibility. When people feel overlooked and unrepresented, engaging in a political system becomes disheartening,” she explained.
Malcolm Patterson, a finance junior at Morehouse, attended the campus event to show support and mentioned that he had already registered. “This will be my first presidential election,” he said. “It is vital for us to vote for the future we aspire to see.”
Non-voters often remain invisible in discussions around elections. Despite the record turnout in 2020, more than 75 million eligible voters abstained from participating, according to research from the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California.
The AP VoteCast survey revealed that non-voters tended to be younger, poorer, and less educated. Among those who cast ballots in 2020, 15% reported household incomes below $25,000, contrasting sharply with approximately 30% of non-voters. This data suggests that individuals facing economic hardship comprise a significant portion of non-voters, with about 27 million adults living below the poverty line according to census statistics.
Georgia’s political landscape faced considerable turmoil during the 2020 election, with turnout reaching 66.3%, close to the national figure of 66.8%. Notably, the lowest turnout rates were among Black and Latino voters.
Following the 2020 election, the Republican-controlled legislature pursued changes aimed at addressing complaints fueled by false claims of voter fraud raised by Trump. These proposed changes include re-implementing hand counts of ballots, although a court in Georgia has temporarily halted these measures. One controversial change mandates that homeless voters use the address of the county voter registration office instead of their actual residence, which could further increase non-voter statistics among disadvantaged populations.
Bibb County reflects a complex demographic, housing over 150,000 residents, a majority of whom belong to minority groups; 60% are unmarried; and nearly 40% are under 30. The county’s poverty rate is above 25%, significantly higher than both state and national averages.
Interviews with single mothers, grandmothers, and men in the community indicate that campaign messages often miss the critical issues affecting their lives. Solomon, who visited Mother’s Nest with family members, shared that her son is unable to vote due to a criminal record, while she and her daughter choose not to participate, saying, “If you’re poor, no one cares, whether Black or white.”
Friday, who founded Mother’s Nest in 2022, intermittently reminds her clients about the significance of voting, both on a national and local scale. “Many have simply lost hope and don’t feel compelled to cast their votes,” she observed.
During a dental clinic organized by Dr. Tiffany Hall, attendees expressed various challenges, particularly in accessing preventive care until issues become emergencies. Tynesha Haslem, 36, shared her struggles, detailing her previous voting experiences during Obama’s presidency, but explained that voting now feels like a low priority amidst the hardships of her life. Having lost her car this year, she and her children rely on hotel stays, and though she is uncertain about her voter registration status due to a felony conviction in 2016, her primary focus remains finding employment.
At a food and clothing distribution event near the Unionville Missionary Baptist Church, residents lined up for essential supplies. Levita Carter, 55, a teacher in the area, highlighted the urgent needs of the children, stating, “Our kids come to school without enough food or clothing.”
Carter encouraged attendees benefiting from resources like food pantries to realize the importance of local voting. “We must start small, scanning for change at the local level before we focus on presidential elections,” she asserted.
