The economy and jobs, immigration and abortion access drove Georgians to the polls in record numbers, according to an Associated Press survey.
The survey, known as AP VoteCast, found 44% of voters had the economy on their minds as they voted for either Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris. An additional 18% cited immigration, and 11% listed abortion as their top concern.
Walker Saussy, a 20-year-old University of Georgia student, voted for the first time in a presidential election Tuesday. He said concern over the southern border is the most important issue influencing his decision to vote for Trump.
“It is important to me to have a secure border and just to know who’s coming in and out of the country,” Saussy said.
Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was killed on the UGA campus earlier this year. Authorities charged 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, who federal officials said entered the country illegally in 2022.
The killing has led to Riley’s name being invoked several times on the campaign trail by Trump, who has made illegal immigration a centerpiece of all three of his campaigns. He has said the policies of President Joe Biden and Harris concerning the U.S.-Mexico border led to Riley’s death.
Julia Richardson, a 38-year-old physician assistant at Reddy Medical in Athens, brought her daughter Vivian into the polls with her.
“Bringing my daughter this morning was really important for me,” Richardson said. “Big things are ahead for this country and protecting our future generation and their rights.”
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
She said women’s rights, overall human rights, better access to affordable child care and equal access to education are some of the top policy priorities for her. She also pointed to what she said was a broken health care system and the need to cut down on the toxicities in the food system.
Richardson said she considered candidates’ decency and character in choosing to vote for Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“I have had a very hard time reconciling with the fact that another candidate that is obviously under investigation for criminal offenses could be leading this country and doesn’t stand for what I feel like a moral code (that) most individuals should represent,” she said.
The survey involved more than 4,000 interviews of Georgia voters as of 5:30 p.m. on Election Day and found an electorate evenly divided over which candidate to support, with voters giving Harris and Trump favorability ratings of 48% and 47%, respectively. The survey has a margin of error of 1.9 percentage points.
Of those who support Trump, 35% said they have a very favorable opinion of the former president, with an additional 12% saying their opinion of the Republican is somewhat favorable.
The sentiment was similar among Harris supporters, with 34% saying they have a very favorable opinion of the Democratic presidential nominee and 14% have a somewhat favorable opinion.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Stockbridge Mayor Anthony S. Ford stressed the importance of voting, citing the sacrifices Black Americans made fighting for the right.
“It is a constitutional right,” Ford said. “A lot of people gave up their blood, sweat and tears in their lives for the right to vote, and it is very important now because things are happening now that are against women. Their rights are being taken from them, not allowing them to make their own decisions about their own body and health.
“It is extremely important to me and should be important to all the other women out there,” he said. “Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the best candidates to handle this, which is why I am supporting them.”
The AP survey reached more than 110,000 voters across the country and was conducted for eight days, concluding as polls closed. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish.
The survey uses several methods to identify potential voters and is designed to be representative of the U.S. population.
The national margin of sampling error for voters is estimated to be plus or minus 0.4 percentage points.
Shweta Krishnan and Nyah Snyder contributed to this article.
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