On the first Tuesday of November, Georgia citizens will head to the polls to elect state governmental positions. With political campaign signs filling lawns and social media riddling with advertisements, tensions rise between parties to attract and lead voters to the polls. This midterm election will determine Georgia’s governor, one of the senate seats that could affect future laws and regulations.

 American citizens know that presidential terms last for four years. In contrast, midterm elections occur every two years at the midpoint of the presidential term, hence the name. These elections determine state and county governmental positions.. Now in the middle of U.S president Joe Biden’s term, the midterm election draws near for all 50 states to vote for county and state governmental positions.

Currently, Georgia’s senators consist of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, who both ran and won in the 2021 runoff election. Warnock runs as senator again although only serving two years of a six-year senate term. The elected senator before Warnock, Johnny Isakson, resigned for health reasons which required governor Brian Kemp to appoint Kelly Leoffler to fill the position. The state later held a general election in which Warnock ran against the appointed senator and won. 

Current senator Warnock grew up in Burke and Screven County. Warnock graduated from Morehouse College in 1991 and earned his bachelor’s degree. He also earned a master’s degree in divinity and philosophy and a Ph.D. from the Union Theological Seminary. Since 2005 Warnock has served as the senior pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church; the same church reveres Martin Luther King Sr. and Martin Luther King Jr. served. Assuming office in 2021, Warnock hopes to win a six-year term after his two-year position as senator. 

Hoping to take the senator title, Walker grew up and attended high school in Wrightsville, Georgia. During his time at the University of Georgia, Walker led the Georgia Bulldogs and won the Heisman trophy in 1982 as the top college player in the country. After his multiple athletic accomplishments, Former President Donald Trump appointed Walker chair of the Presidents council in sports, fitness and nutrition during his presidency. The former football player now fights to win a seat in the United States Senate.

“Of course I think this election is important, especially to us minority groups as this could change a lot for us. I think Raphael Warnock is going to win. Unfortunately, Walker got too much dirt on him with the abuse and his own son after him as well. I definitely wanna see a change in the current way Georgia is operating so I’m gonna vote for who is right when I can,” junior AJ Johnson said.

Current Georgia governor Kemp faces Stacy Abrams and three other candidates. Kemp and Abrams faced each other in the 2018 election where Kemp won by 2%. Because of this incredibly close result, both parties ramped up their campaigns in hopes to beat the other in this election. Although the senator and governor seats take center stage in the election, this election will also determine the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state representative, agriculture commissioner, school superintendent, labor commissioner and insurance commissioner.

Early voting begins October 17 and ends November 4 while election day occurs November 8. For citizens looking to vote, Georgia’s website shows everything related to registration status, how and where to vote and the status of ballots. 

“We’re only 22 days away from the most consequential election in our history, in my view, in recent history at least, elections where the choice and the stakes are crystal clear, especially when it comes to the right to choose,” president of the United States Joe Biden said.