As dawn broke over the prosperous suburban area of Dunwoody, on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, the quiet melodies of bird songs amid the fall oaks were gradually replaced by the increasing hum of iconic, American, yellow school buses mixed with the other traffic noises. This marked the awakening of this part of DeKalb County.
Local inhabitants flocked to their community library with undulating footfall, carrying with them voting ballot papers and the occasional book. Earlier, theGeorgia presidential election voting had kicked off and an impressive number of 310,000 votes were registered on the opening day, over double the total from 2020. Monday continued to see energetic voter turnout, with locals like Jacqueline Ghali fulfilling their civic responsibility.
To Jacqueline, selecting the right leader was essential and said she placed her vote for Kamala Harris. The notion of someone vying to restore the country’s greatness was not appealing to her, as she believed the country was already great. Jacqueline, being a hairdresser, heard many political discussions at her salon, but only once did she need to mediate between opposing viewpoints.
A local couple, Thalia and Kris, were in attendance with their infant daughter, Soleil. Kris, a diamond broker, expressed his concern about the escalating political divisions and was determined to play his role given the significant matters at risk. Thalia, a cybersecurity professional, voiced her concern about soaring inflation that resulted in the soaring cost of essential items including rent and groceries.
Kris added that the average earnings required to sustain a comfortable lifestyle had notably shifted compared to what it was previously. Did this mean they were pushing for a change in leadership? Thalia confirmed that they sided with Harris. Kris agreed, attributing their choice to the competency of Harris and other Democratic representatives over their closest allies who supported Donald Trump. He stated that political differences were not allowed to interfere with their personal relationships.
The preferences of voters in DeKalb County represented the wider voting trend in 2020, when Joe Biden received an overwhelming 308,000 votes (83.1 per cent) which were instrumental in him winning Georgia by a slim margin of under 12,000 votes (0.24 per cent of the total).
The slender win incited a prolonged dispute fuelled by election fraud allegations from the Republicans, who alleged that Trump was pressuring officials, particularly secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, to uncover votes that could revert the outcome. These allegations led to a grand jury probe and a racketeering trial still in progress against the previous president and 18 other individuals. There was also an upheaval among a group who felt that the deserving candidate didn’t end up in the White House.
Yet despite these challenges, Trump is leading by a small 1½ points according to a poll conducted by the FiveThirtyEight website for Georgia, the second most crucial battleground state, offering 16 votes in the electoral college.
If the Democrats hope to keep their hold, then Kamala Harris will need to harness strong, if not stronger, support from places like DeKalb, particularly considering Trump’s appeal in the numerous conservative areas within the state’s 159 counties.
In Forsyth County, situated about 20 miles (32km) north of Dunwoody, the Cumming election office is experiencing a swift influx of voters. Here, the popular opinion seems to be the polar opposite of Dunwoody, with Trump potentially surpassing his two-thirds vote share from 2020.
John Herd, a state water services employee, is firmly pro-Trump and supports any Republican candidate. His key voting issues include border security and reduced consumer goods prices. He criticises the Biden administration’s grants given out during the pandemic, arguing that they added to inflation, increased interest rates ‘excessively’ and has left him wondering whether his children would ever own a home.
Herd also opines that Trump would be superior in diplomacy by proactively seeking conflict resolutions rather than investing ‘massive amounts of money’ into them. He feels that the international community would have more respect for Trump than the current administration.
Len and Debra, local government and transport employees from Cumming, are keen to see Trump return to the presidency. Len reflects back on the economy of four to five years prior, to which Debra adds that the prices of fuel were much lower then, as well as interest rates.
Georgia State University’s politics professor, Robert Howard, indicates that a successful campaign in Georgia will heavily depend on the party’s ability to mobilise their base. He suggests that Harris ought to aim to garner a significant number of votes from African Americans and women. Meanwhile, Trump’s success may hinge on whether supporters of Brian Kemp, Georgia’s governor, will back him up.
Howard elaborates that Kemp has been losing favour among Republicans more inclined towards Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ ideology, despite having conservative beliefs himself. “Kemp is certainly right-wing, but he’s not extreme and he retains faith in the rule of law,” Howard adds.
In Howard’s view, any focus on undecided voters or their policy preferences might be misplaced given the highly antagonistic nature of the candidates. He insinuates that being unsure in such an election is baffling.