Georgia mobilises Black voters ahead of US midterm elections
Ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3, Democrats and civic groups in Georgia are working to mobilise Black voters. They are pushing back against election rules and district redrawing that critics say weaken Black voting power.
In the US state of Georgia, Democrats and non-governmental groups are urging African American residents to vote before the November 3 midterm elections for Congress. Black voters are a key part of the Democratic base. Early voting began on October 13 and runs until October 30. African Americans make up around 30% of the state's estimated 11 million people.
At Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. once served as a pastor, Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock led the Sunday service as the church's senior pastor. In 2020 he became the first African American to represent Georgia in the US Senate. Warnock urged the congregation to vote, and Marc Morial, head of the National Urban League, a civil rights organisation active since 1910, said the whole country was watching the state.
Dispute over the election law
Local activists criticise SB 202, a 2021 law signed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp. It bans handing out food and water to voters in line within 150 feet (about 46 metres) of a polling station. Deborah Scott, head of the grassroots group Georgia Stand Up, says this disproportionately affects minority communities, where she says queues are longer. Republicans say the law makes voting easier and cheating harder. The Justice Department initially sued the state, but dropped the case in March 2025, after Donald Trump returned to office.
The shadow of 2020 and redistricting
After losing Georgia in 2020, Trump falsely claimed victory, even though a recount confirmed Joe Biden's lead of 11,779 votes. In February, the FBI raided election offices in Fulton County to seize 2020 records. Senator Jon Ossoff, who is seeking re-election, accused Trump of trying to suppress Black votes.
In April, the US Supreme Court struck down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, and several Southern states redrew their maps. In Georgia, Republicans shelved a similar plan this year, fearing a voter backlash.
