Midterm elections are fast approaching and the Georgia gubernatorial candidates are actively campaigning. At the primary elections in May, Stacey Abrams secured the Democratic nomination and Brian Kemp secured the Republican nomination. Piedmont students should know how important their votes are, according to Piedmont Social Sciences Chair and political science professor Dr. Tony Frye.
“All elections are important, not just the national elections, which is a common obsession in American politics,” Frye said. “Who gets elected to your city council, county commissioner, and yes, who gets elected Governor of the state of Georgia, your local and state elections are just as important as the national elections because your daily encounters with government are typically at the local and state level.”
Before students and faculty head to the polls on November 6th, Frye said, they should be informed on the issues and where the candidates fall on either side.
“Do not be a blind voter,” Frye said. “Know who you are voting for and what issues you are voting on and why. Look up the candidates running on your ballot, all of them. Look up the issues, educate yourself, and use the technology you have at your fingertips to inform yourself.”
According to The Hill, immigration and gun control are the leading concerns of the public going into the November elections. There is also a growing anti-incumbency sentiment in the House and Senate.
Abrams’ website states she plans to fight for common-sense gun reforms including universal background checks, repeal of campus carry, and extreme-risk protection orders, support protections and services for victims of domestic violence, invest in mental health services and support community & hospital programs to stop the cycle of gun violence. Stacey Abrams was endorsed by Moms Demand Action, and received an F rating from the NRA, which has deemed her “a threat to the second amendment” based on her policies and statements regarding guns and gun control. Kemp’s website does not mention his views on gun control, however in one of his campaign ads he makes sure his daughter’s boyfriend has a “healthy respect for the second amendment.” Kemp currently has an A-plus rating from the NRA.
On the topic of immigration, Stacey Abrams published a letter addressed to the immigrants residing in the state of Georgia. In it, she says:
“My faith demands that I speak up for the voiceless and the vulnerable – that a soul finds rest only by doing the most for the ‘least of these…’ The anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions of this administration are cruel, inhumane, and must be opposed in the strongest terms.”
Brian Kemp described himself as a “politically incorrect conservative,” and said in the same campaign ad, “I have a big truck, just in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take ‘em home myself. Yup. I just said that.”
Whichever side Piedmont students support, Dr. Frye said their votes are as important as any Americans’ and their responsibility is also just as great.
“Once you have figured out who you are voting for or how you will vote on any issue, find your voting station or absentee ballot, and exercise your most important right that you have in a free society.”
