Originally posted in the October 25th print edition of the Signal. Photo taken by Trent Legaspi.
Candidate Stacey Abrams and Senator Raphael Warnock spoke at Georgia State University as part of their campaign tour. Their visit happening during the start of early voting wasn’t coincidental.
Both events were hosted by the Young Democrats at Georgia State. They are an organization focused on the amplification of Democratic ideals and candidates to GSU’s student body. Other students decked in Abrams and Warnock crewnecks also helped with ironing out event logistics.
Warnock’s speech was on October 17, with students packed into the Speaker’s Auditorium as they listened to the senator’s words echo off the walls.
Student loan debt forgiveness was one of Warnock’s talking points. The senator went to Morehouse College on what he called a “full faith scholarship.” Through financial aid, he was able to graduate.
While Warnock did push the president to cancel $10,000 of debt, even he admitted that the amount was a temporary solution to a grander issue.
“For decades, this has been a problem with the cost of college far outpacing the rest of the economy,” said Warnock.
He proposed to lower the cost of college as a whole and increase the amount of Pell grants given. A Pell Grant is a financial aid program that doesn’t need to be repaid to the federal government.
Warnock stepped into office as the political climate around Georgia was changing. By a slim margin, Georgia voted in two Democrats into the Senate, which hadn’t been done since 2000. Warnock urged his crowd to repeat those results this year. He wanted them to take to the polls, and to do so as early as possible.
Something that both Abrams and Warnock emphasized was the power of young voters.
“All of the great movements in the history of our country, have always been fueled by the passion and the idealism… of young people,” said Warnock.
Abrams had those young people shouting her name as she stepped out of the black van on October 20. They swarmed her, parading her down the Greenspace as they filed into the Speaker’s Auditorium.
Before Abrams’ speech, Makita Hemingway, the Democratic candidate for the Commissioner of Agriculture, talked about the Democratic candidates as a whole. The Commissioner of Agriculture governs over marketing and production of food.
To Hemingway, it wasn’t just about her getting elected, but about voting Democratic up and down the ballot.
Democratic Secretary of State candidate Bee Nguyen criticized the Republican-supported bill SB 202, and how it set barriers to the voting process. The bill criminalized giving water to voters and removed the “secure drop boxes” that were used extensively during the pandemic.
“They understand that voting is the most powerful non-violent tool that we have,” said Nguyen.
Abrams’ speech was only thirteen minutes long. The promises that she delivered to the audience were expansive.
Like her promise to expand Medicaid in Georgia. Medicaid is a program used to help with the financial costs of healthcare not covered under Medicare. Keeping hospitals open and improving eligibility for the program was just part of her solution to keep Georgians healthy.
Affordable housing was also promised in her campaign speech. She plans to allocate the $400 million that Kemp is “sitting on” to keep people from being evicted.
She plans to expand the Hope scholarship to make it needs-based by fall 2023. Improvements to childcare and increasing funds for education were also topics she touched on. Abrams didn’t just dump her laundry list of policies on the students, she also took time to attack Governor Brian Kemp for his supposed “inaction”.
Abrams was referencing Kemp’s tax cut issued on April 26. Georgia.gov said it will cut taxes from 5.75% to 4.99% in seven years and that a billion dollars went back into Georgians’ hands. Abrams claimed that the billion mostly touched the hands of Georgia’s wealthiest.
“Brian Kemp doesn’t care, I do. Brian Kemp won’t help, I will,” said Abrams.
People cheered for Abrams and skipped class to cling to every word of her speech.
But why a bunch of students fought for big-name Democratic candidates and rap duo Earthgang to visit the school comes down to one thing. Cynicism.
“We’re hosting these events because there’s a lot of… cynicism with students when it comes to elections,” said Gabriel Delille, member of the Young Democrats.
He explained that getting the candidates on campus makes them more visible to the students. Not only can the candidates tailor their message to a younger voting poll, but the students feel seen by the people representing them.
“I felt like seeing a celebrity. And I’ve been at Georgia State for three years and haven’t seen that,” said Anna Wallace.
The Young Democrats gave Wallace that “celebrity” moment. They were also able to allow students to interact with the candidates that they see on TV. Students heard about candidates on the down-ballot, which doesn’t get as much recognition as the governor and senate races.
With voting booths sectioned off to Dahlberg Hall, students could cast their votes early and make their voices heard. To the ones who refuse to pen their name to a ballot, Delille had this to say to them.
“The decision that’s being made in that golden capitol will affect you and future generations."
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