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Young Georgians, Big Stakes, and a War Nobody Voted For
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This Week in Georgia
Atlanta is preparing to host eight World Cup matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium starting June 15th, bringing significant economic activity to the region but real pressure on an already strained public transportation system. Planned transit shutdowns and construction projects have raised legitimate concerns about traffic bottlenecks throughout the city.
The Federal Transit Administration has launched a formal investigation into MARTA following recent stabbings and violence on the system, giving the agency a 15-day window to provide information on crime mitigation strategies, safety spending, and worker protection efforts. The FTA will also evaluate MARTA's Safety Risk Reduction Program and whether prior directives have been effectively implemented.
A federal judge overturned the controversial $100,000 fee for H-1B visas this week, ruling it an unconstitutional tax that only Congress can impose. The decision was welcomed across Georgia, particularly in rural communities that depend on foreign-trained clinicians to keep healthcare facilities open. Staffing shortages have already forced closures across the state, and the fee would have made a difficult situation significantly worse.
Georgia's Youth Vote: A Gap We Can't Ignore
Georgia's May 19th primary broke records. More than two million Georgians cast ballots, a 27.9% turnout rate—the highest for a primary in state history. But buried inside that headline number is a question worth asking: are young voters showing up at the rate Georgia Democrats will need them to in November?
Early voting data showed 18-29 year olds accounted for just 5.7% of ballots cast, a number that suggests a persistent gap between the youth population and youth participation. In a state where statewide races are decided by tens of thousands of votes and State House seats by hundreds, that gap is worth watching closely. The June 16th runoffs for lieutenant governor and other down-ballot races will help determine the shape of the Democratic ticket heading into November. Low youth turnout in a low-turnout runoff environment could have an outsized effect on who emerges and on the momentum Democrats carry into the fall.
In 2024, youth turnout held strong in Georgia compared to the nation, yet the partisan margin collapsed. Harris won Georgia's youth vote by a single-digit margin, a large decline compared to Biden's 25-point national advantage in 2020. This drop suggests a persuasion problem as much as a turnout problem, and it hits hardest among young men and non-college youth.
Younger voters are a group that typically lean Democratic, and their support can turn an election. In the 2024 presidential election, many young voters shifted right, securing Trump's victory. According to NPR's Elena Moore, this shift was attributed to economic concerns over party loyalty. Cost of living prices weighed heavier on many young voters' minds compared to ideological debates, creating an opening for Trump's economic messaging to resonate with youth voters. For Democrats to win back youth votes, it is important that they revisit their messaging to reconnect with young voters who may feel their economic concerns aren't being addressed in the party's message.
Persuasion and lack of enthusiasm aren't the only obstacles heading into November, access plays a role as well. Georgia had 23% fewer 18-19 year olds registered in 2024 than on Election Day 2020. This is a pipeline failure compounded by deliberate legal moves: SB 202 restricted drop boxes by 77% in majority-minority counties, eliminated the permanent absentee voter list, and imposed strict photo ID rules for absentee voting. The more recent SB 189 allows private citizens to file mass voter challenges up to 45 days before an election, a direct threat to newly registered young and mobile voters.
Georgia also lacks same-day registration and pre-registration at 16, two policies proven to increase youth turnout by 3-7 points. The path to the ballot is navigable, but only with active support. This means year-round commitment to voting education and registration, such as on-campus collaborations at universities, multilingual outreach, and engagement in underrepresented communities. Organizations like the Georgia NAACP and GALEO Impact Fund have shown how these efforts can be successful, and continue to educate young voters on the importance of their vote. Georgia's youth vote is not lost. It is waiting to be earned. The campaigns that figure that out first will have a significant advantage come November.
The Hidden Costs of Kemp’s Past Eight Years
It is impossible to reflect on Governor Kemp's legacy without examining his fiscal record. After all, one of his largest selling points is that he has helped make Georgia "the number one place for business." Most rankings have placed Georgia somewhere in the top ten over the past eight years rather than at the very top, but his claim is not without merit.
Georgia has amassed a budget surplus every year since Kemp took office, currently holding $14.6 billion in General Fund Surplus accounts. Georgia has also attracted major multinational corporations during his two terms, particularly in the automotive sector. This includes the Hyundai manufacturing plant in Bryan County, the Mercedes-Benz North American headquarters in Sandy Springs, and multiple electric vehicle battery factories across the state.
That track record is real, and it reflects Kemp's genuine commitment to attracting business to Georgia. But has that commitment come at the expense of Georgians themselves?
Kemp has supported hefty tax incentives for new AI data centers despite significant environmental concerns and the fact that only 30.6% of Georgians support their development. More broadly, Georgia's high business rankings have not produced a corresponding improvement in quality of life. The United Health Foundation ranked Georgia 38th in its 2025 report, with a 49th ranking in uninsured rates, 47th in avoided care due to cost, and 41st in primary care providers.
Each of these failures has a straightforward remedy: use the surplus, and join the 41 states that have already accepted full Medicaid expansion funds. Both actions would go a long way toward closing the gap between Georgia's business reputation and the lived reality of its people.
The money is there. It has become more plentiful under Kemp's tenure. But money that sits untouched while Georgians go uninsured and avoid doctors because they can't afford them is not a legacy. It's a choice.
Georgia Families Are Feeling This War
For Georgians, the Iran war has never been abstract.
The Strait of Hormuz closure has contributed to the largest global oil market disruption in history, and Georgia families have been feeling it at the pump, especially coming on the heels of the state gas tax suspension expiring last month. Not only that, but Georgia’s military families are facing deployment to the region. At Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins and Fort Stewart in Hinesville, military families are watching the escalation closely. Not to mention how Georgia farmers have been facing higher fertilizer cost which have been passed on to Georgians.
On June 8th, a U.S. Army Apache helicopter was downed near the coast of Oman. Both crew members were rescued. Following the incident, Donald Trump blamed Iran and vowed retaliation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned against U.S. presence in the region but did not claim responsibility.
The United States Central Command launched strikes the following day, continuing for several hours. Iran retaliated with strikes on U.S. military installations in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Trump then warned that Iran had taken too long to negotiate and that the United States would strike again. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed strikes on key Iranian facilities were imminent. Today, Trump abruptly canceled those strikes against Iran, announcing that a “major diplomatic breakthrough has been reached at the highest levels of Iranian leadership." Thus far, Iranian leadership has not confirmed any such agreement.
Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP
For Georgia, the stakes of the war continue to be personal. Military families at Robins and Fort Stewart are not watching this from a distance; they are in it. Gas prices are rising with no state relief on the horizon. With Senator Jon Ossoff facing reelection this fall, Georgia's voice on whether Congress reclaims its constitutional war powers has never mattered more.
The Future Is Already Here
This summer, over 20 interns have shown up at The 2030 Project to help build something real—and they are doing exactly that.
They are coming from UGA, Georgia State, Emory, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, and Duke — and several high school students who decided they weren't going to wait to get involved. Their majors span political science, journalism, international affairs, communications, public administration, English, ecology, economics, and human health. They are not all the same kind of person with the same kind of background. They are exactly the kind of diverse, curious, driven group that a mission like ours requires.
Already, they have written newsletter articles, created social media content, conducted research, knocked doors in our battleground districts, and engaged in youth voter outreach efforts in the communities where our five target races will be decided this November.
The 2030 Project has always believed that young people are not just the future of Georgia politics. They are the present. You will be hearing and seeing more from them soon. But for now, please know that we are excited they are here—and we hope you are, too!
Fundraising Match – Help Us Reach Our $5,000 Goal
This week's newsletter highlights some of the biggest challenges facing Georgia: declining youth voter participation, ongoing fights over voting access, healthcare disparities, transportation concerns, and the long-term impact of state leadership decisions. These are exactly the stakes we're advocating for.
One of our donors believed so strongly in this moment that they're matching every dollar we raise until we hit $5,000. Your $25 becomes $50. Your $100 becomes $200. From Americus and Duluth to Suwanee and Sandy Springs, every dollar donated goes toward flipping our five battleground State House seats this November.
Donate today and join the fight via ActBlue.
Together, we can flip five State House seats this November and change the balance of power here in Georgia.
Until next time,
Fund year-round organizing. Flip the GA State Legislature.
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