The Georgia Runoff Election was the topic of our last Twitter chat of 2020 because it’s one of the most important events happening at the top of 2021. Our monthly Twitter chat conversations are vehicles for sharing insights, tools, strategies, and resources among Black America’s best and brightest creative professionals. We care not just about our own missions and businesses but also those in our communities.
“I want our community to know that these small elections are what set us up to make the right decisions for our community,” says Krissy Davis, Brand Manager of #blkcreatives and Atlanta resident, who was also the brainchild of this chat. “I want our people to be prepared, I want them to learn more about just the President. Our vote matters and it’s time we started acting like it.”
This conversation was sponsored by The Voter Participation Center, a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 2003 to help members of the Rising American Electorate register and vote. We were honored to have Krissy alongside radio vet, co-host and executive producer Nina Brown; documentary filmmaker and journalist, King Williams; National political strategist, organizer, advisor, Danny Glover; and senior political strategist Britney Whaley who tweeted on behalf of Georgia Working Families.
While this chat was about Georgia, the tips and insight shared can be applied to ANY election. Here’s what we learned about the importance of voting in this Georgia Runoff Senate Election:
Elections impact more than what’s happening now, it shakes up our past AND our future.
“This election is high stakes and nationalized because the entire U.S. Senate and who controls it is in question. That means it will determine what issues are brought to the Senate floor, what bills/issues are taken up in committee, etc,” revealed Britney. “We hire elected officials to represent the best interest of our communities. We hire them with our money (taxes) and voting is one way we express our approval for/against the issues on their platforms #blkcreatives
“Listen, this is the most important election for a few reasons,” Danny informed us. “Here’s what’s on the table:
1. Judicial Nominees
2. A new S T I M U L U S Deal
3. Infrastructure & Healthcare Bills
4. Reparations (H.R. 40/S.1083)”
What you want in your community starts with your local elections.
“We can’t expect any real change without voting in all elections. Just voting in the Presidential elections won’t help our communities,” Krissy delivered. “It’s time for us to stand up and demand change at all levels if we want to see some action from our elected officials.”
“It is so important for the people of Georgia to vote because there is soooo much on the line,” Nina encouraged. “Healthcare, education, a woman’s reproductive rights, voting rights and more.”
Elections give you an opportunity to really learn about your local officials and what they represent for your future.
“If you hear nothing I say, hear this; please do your research before you cast your vote! It is important to not only look deeply at their policy positions, Danny informed us. “Additionally, check out campaign finance reports to see ‘who’s giving what to who.’ This is the single biggest indicator of how they will move once elected.”
“Georgia is in a very unique situation where there is finally an opportunity for a crack in the representation of demographics of state/US Senate lawmakers comparable to the state,” shared King Williams. “Georgia has never had a non-white US Senator or Governor, and only 1 Black Public Service Comm.
Resources Shared
Danny prompped to support orgs working at the local level such as:
(Full list curated by @TheWayWithAnoa) https://bit.ly/2K7AQka
(You can also reach out to organizations in your community that do similar work to the above).
Nina loves organizations like @fairfightaction & @VoterCenter becase they are so informative,
King shared his newsletter and the on-the-ground journalists here:
@stphnfwlr, and his podcast Battleground is really good https://gpb.org/podcasts/battleground-ballot-box
King also says to check out @ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page
King also shared this checklist for reviewing candidates:
1. Voting record
2. Campaign donations
3. Who they follow/engage on social media
4. Are they a part of The Federalist Society or other type orgs
5. responses to criticism
6. What is their plan for their term in office?
Krissy and Nina also believe in doing your own research to see who aligns with your beliefs. Simply googling all the candidates + understanding what they believe in can take you far.
Standout Tweets from Our Community
Our next Twitter chat is happening in February 2021 with a special surprise celebration happening on January 11.
Connect with us on Twitter to join in. You can find our Twitter chat guide here.
Thank you again to The Voter Participation Center for sponsoring this conversation. Interested in sponsoring a #blkcreatives Twitter chat? View our one sheet here + Email Krissy at krissy@blkcreatives.com for info.