Canopy Atlanta sent five reporters to polling locations in low voter turnout precincts. The goal was to hear from constituents about their motivations to vote and what they expect from elected officials after Election Day.
Canopy Atlanta also trains and pays community members, our Fellows, to learn reporting skills to better serve their community. Several reporters of this story are Canopy Atlanta Fellows.
On Election Day, as a record-breaking 4.1 million Georgians voted during this year’s midterms, residents from underserved neighborhoods across metro Atlanta were ready for change.
That is what voters told Canopy Atlanta’s team of Community Journalists after they cast their ballots throughout Tuesday.
While some were eager to see Georgia turn blue, an overwhelming majority across neighborhoods and demographics showed up simply feeling squeezed by high prices for the most basic amenities.
Others wanted to see more from local officials when it came to transportation, infrastructure, and housing affordability, especially compared to other parts of the city. “Atlanta isn’t just Midtown and the big places,” said one resident local to Grove Park. “This is Atlanta too.”
Some felt grateful for the chance to make their voices heard. Others weren’t entirely sure whether showing up would make a difference. What seemed consistent, though, was that they heard the campaign promises—and now is the time to keep them.
See Canopy Atlanta’s reporting on the ground below.
1 p.m.
Forest Park Library, 4812 West Street
Estimated time to vote: 2-3 minutes
Spotted: A fellow journalist, reporting for the independent French news outlet MediaPart. A mother and a daughter showing up together to vote for the first time.
One election official instructed Community Journalist Naya Clark to step 150 feet away from the exit, and was “put on the phone with someone else who could not provide backing for that rule, since I was not campaigning,” she says. Although it is illegal to campaign within 150 feet of a polling place, people conducting exit or public opinion polls must stay within just 25 feet of any exit.
2 p.m.
Forest Park Library, 4812 West Street
Tiya Lott, a 19-year Forest Park resident, was at the polling location but actually wasn’t intending to vote, in part because she felt local officials weren’t listening to her community.
Trump voter Richard Wright supports the war in Iran but acknowledges that the cost of living feels high. “I want things to come down,” he said.
Vicarri Cotton moved from the Lakewood area to Forest Park a year ago. He showed up to the polls concerned about employment and housing affordability—“making sure that Black people are able to succeed and . . . progress along in the workforce as well.”
Meanwhile, six-year Forest Park resident Lisa came to the polls wanting to see more accountability and tax dollars better spent—and more expediently—on repairs like potholes and tennis court lighting. She showed up to the polls knowing that her civic duties don’t end there.
Community Journalists Naya Clark and Pristine Parr were both on site, when a woman claiming to be from the Georgia Secretary of State office approached them in her car. She, too, thought that Canopy Atlanta’s reporters were campaigning.
Parr offered to show Canopy Atlanta’s list of questions, though the staffer declined and drove off.
3 p.m.
Northwest Branch Library, 6131 Riverdale Road
Another poll director mistook a Canopy Atlanta reporter for a campaign staffer.
Community Journalist Pristine Parr writes from Riverdale:
“When I was led to the director, Valerie Wiggs, I told her I will make sure I stay 150 feet from the poll entrance. She nodded that this was correct and I went on my way.
“I was doing a video interview across the parking lot when Valerie and the poll worker directing people at the door came out and yelled at me. I was in the wrong place and was too close to the entrance. I explained that I saw the sign that said anyone campaigning had to be behind the sign but I am a member of the press and I was not campaigning.
“Valerie told me it didn’t matter, I had to go behind that line. My interviewee got pretty upset, stating that he didn’t like the way they were yelling at me. I walked down to the section she pointed at but it was near the one entrance in and out of the library and was not a safe place to conduct interviews.”
Parr says that Wiggs later apologized: “She explained that they were under a lot of pressure and certain people were looking at everything they did and giving them a hard time whenever they could.”
3:30 p.m.
Salem Bible Church, 2283 Baker Road
Spotted: “I saw multiple generations of women voting together,” says Community Journalist Dorothy Woods. “I saw a mom, grandmother, and daughter come to the polls.”
Lifelong Westside natives Sheila and Latrice showed up to vote thinking about the cost of Medicaid, groceries, gas, i.e. “everything.”
“I just think they need to pay more attention to the community,” Sheila said. “I would say to the African American community, but now just . . . more attention to the poor, and more attention to the elderly.”
Flat Shoals Library, 1455 Flat Shoals Road
Estimated time to vote: 5-10 minutes
Spotted: Two poll observers, including one from the ACLU
Jasana McQueen had “the ancestors” in mind: “ Knowing how important it is for our culture and race to cast a ballot, and not take it for granted . . . that’s what pushed me to come out and vote today.”
Meanwhile, stay-at-home mom Akeeba Marshall hopes that, along with prioritizing issues like healthcare, childcare, and education, elected officials follow through on campaign promises to their community. “I hope that they will listen to the people and not be on their own agendas,” she says.
Northwest Branch Library, 6131 Riverdale Road
First-year Riverdale resident Jordan Mills stressed the importance of voting, especially for local officials. “I feel like in this age and time, a lot of us need to use our voice,” she says. “We complain so much about the issues but we don’t go to the polls. And me being a millennial, I’m just like, I can change the future by just showing up at the polls.”
4:00 p.m.
Flat Shoals Library, 1455 Flat Shoals Road
Six-year DeKalb County residents Robert Casanave and Lauren Magana showed up to vote together, motivated by local and national issues alike.
“I know a few teachers in multiple counties—like Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb—that are really struggling,” says Magana, a social worker. “One that was on the verge of retirement retired, she felt like at the perfect time, because there was so much underfunding and there’s just not enough.”
4:30 p.m.
Flat Shoals Library, 1455 Flat Shoals Road
Denzel Mayo showed up to the polls hoping to make a difference in South DeKalb, where he has lived for the past few years. “I mean, this is the community in which I live in, and if I want to see certain things change, then I need to be active in understanding what’s going on and who to vote for.”
Vietnam War veteran Ralph E. Robinson (above) hopes to see elected officials work across the aisle to stop the war in Iran. “Once that war stop[s], we stop spending money over there, we spend some of the money on us,” he said.
Salem Bible Church, 2283 Baker Road
Spotted: Poll observers from the Democratic Party of GA. “They were ensuring that people had positive experiences and talked to people who were denied voting access. A lot of folks did not have the correct ID info,” says Community Journalist Nzingha Hall.
Estimated time to vote: 10-15 minutes. “There were no ramps for this station,” Hall writes. “Disabled voters had to leave their cars right near the entrance and use wheelchairs or walking aids to gain access to the building. This made traffic a bit of a hazard.”
Overheard: “I told their ass to get out there and vote.”
5:00 p.m.
Northwest Branch Library, 6131 Riverdale Road
Spotted: “Traffic became more brisk and carloads could be seen getting out to vote,” says Community Journalist Pristine Parr. “I saw at least a dozen people leave because they were at the wrong polling station and several people walked across busy RIverdale Road to get on the bus or off it.”
Salem Bible Church, 2283 Baker Road
“I think it’s a lot of red tape when it comes to politics,” says seven-year Collier Heights resident Eddie C. “So you may elect certain officials, but if they don’t have the support in Congress and things of that nature, they might can’t get the things that they need to get done that actually help your community.”
Fulton County resident Kiki M. showed up to vote at Grove Park thinking about her family, her neighbors, and the cost of living. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any kids,” she says. “But I still have places to go. I have to go back and forth to work. So it’s been tough with gas prices being so high. I work far away, in a whole other county.”
5:30 p.m.
Salem Bible Church, 2283 Baker Road
Besides what another voter called “the normal kitchen table issues: food, utilities . . . the cost of housing,” voters local to this Grove Park polling location hoped to see more investment in the Westside. “Our roads haven’t been fixed in so long. I would like for them to come through the communities, to actually pour into the communities,” said one native.
Sherisse C. wants to see living in Atlanta be more sustainable, with more disability protections for people like herself: “I’m originally from New York. So I feel like, for the rapid growth that I’ve witnessed between 2002 to now, there’s no reason why this state should be an at-will work state. I feel like people should be protected. Wages need to increase. Cost of living needs to match. They gotta do better.”
Massage therapist Jacques Green hopes to see more grants and opportunities for small business owners like himself. “As much as they televise and promote the bashing of the other candidate, they could advertise and promote some of these programs,” he says.
Lifelong Grove Park resident JP showed up to the polls concerned about the future of Atlanta schools. “I graduated from the illustrious Frederick Douglass—the best in the West, man,” he says. “They just need to be able to benefit from the same type of school that I went to.”
And a lifelong Georgian, age 24, came to the polls concerned about education, wages, and more: “I want to see everyone come together . . . and be able to see the changes that I want to see within agriculture as far as food, water. Deleting data centers. [laughs]”
6:30 p.m.
Salem Bible Church, 2283 Baker Road
Darnell West, a 40-year Bankhead resident, was excited to vote for fellow Frederick Douglass High School graduate Keisha Lance Bottoms. “I want to see an actual grocery store — that’ll be nice,” he says. “I think Keisha will make that happen because, her being from this neighborhood, I hope that she would pour back into the community, you know?”
Flat Shoals Library, 1455 Flat Shoals Road
Even though Jessica Davis had already voted, she accompanied her eldest child Corey Scruggs to the polls, and made sure that all four of her adult children voted.
“The older I’m getting, the more I’ve been getting more involved with my community and stuff, and finding out what’s going on,” Scruggs said. “People always want to say voting don’t matter. But you really can’t say it don’t matter if you’ve not being a part of it.”
Meanwhile, Davis cited Atlanta “going viral” for leading the nation in eviction rates. “The food is high, the gas is high, the rent is high,” she says. “ The mortgage is not even as balanced as it once was with insurance and everything going up. So we need commissioners, we need a new governor. We need a new system.”
Northwest Branch Library, 6131 Riverdale Road
In Riverdale, locals came to the polls wanting to turn back time. One six-year resident named Mercedes cited women’s healthcare as her biggest issue, citing how Roe v. Wade was overturned. A five-year Riverdale resident (left) cited the high cost of prescription drugs: “If you got one income, you gotta decide who to get it for, your spouse or . . . yourself.” Yet another resident, Monia, wanted relief for everyone: for a friend after a long job search, and her grandmother who takes insulin. “I want to feel like how I felt a few years back,” she said. Others came wanting to see more Democratic representation. Caprice Davis was on the phone with her mother while exiting the polls, and when Canopy Atlanta spoke with her, Davis’ mom chimed in:
“Tell her to open the doors on the White House . . . and kick Trump out.”Two more voters wanted to see Georgians experience the same quality of life they’ve seen elsewhere.
“When it comes to health, dental, vision, and things like that, why is it that we’re the only country that has to pay for that?” a resident named David asked. “Being that we have to pay for it, it’s so high. And then if you don’t pay for it they will leave you for dead.”
Content creator Reema (right) has seen what public officials can do for others, specifically New York mayor Zohran Mamdani: “He’s done so much in, like, three business days. We need the same level here in the state of Georgia.”
“My interviews revealed something else about the area,” writes Community Journalist Pristine Parr. “When asked what do you want the winners to know about the area, many responded that they were standing up and refusing to be ignored or bullied.”
Two-year Riverdale resident Reema
Editors: Genia Billingsley and Christina Lee
I hope this story leaves you inspired by the power of community-focused journalism. Here at Canopy Atlanta, we're driven by a unique mission: to uncover and amplify the voices and stories that often go unheard in traditional newsrooms.
Our nonprofit model allows us to prioritize meaningful journalism that truly serves the needs of our community. We're dedicated to providing you with insightful, thought-provoking stories that shed light on the issues and stories that matter most to neighborhoods across Atlanta.
By supporting our newsroom, you're not just supporting journalism – you're investing in Atlanta. Small and large donations enable us to continue our vital work of uncovering stories in underrepresented communities, stories that deserve to be told and heard.
From Bankhead to South DeKalb to Norcross, I believe in the power of our journalism and the impact it can have on our city.
If you can, please consider supporting us with a small gift today. Your support is vital to continuing our mission.
Floyd Hall, co-founder
