Gellela recently served as a fellow for the Norcross issue and as an Atlanta Documenter, where she enjoyed attending government meetings and taking notes. By  covering local government meetings, Gellela got to see how important decisions are made prior to becoming front-page news. For the Voting Bridges and Barriers Project, she hopes her research and community engagement will be helpful in bringing a better understanding and a working solution to the current issue of low-voting turnout.

Iris, a South DeKalb Fellow and Documenter, is interested in researching and writing about the rights of the unhoused and those in transient living situations when it comes to voting. For example, if a citizen must have a stable address to vote, and must have voted in the precinct for that address; what happens when that person has to move from county to county or frequently within a county between election cycles?

Nzingha (she/her) is a journalist hailing from Saint Louis, MO. She has written for publications such as The Guardian UK, 19th News, and Scalawag Magazine and previously served as a West End Fellow. Nzingha is looking forward to understanding the issues that impact the citizens of Atlanta such as: How will this election impact reproductive health and rights? Cost of Living? Housing? Climate Change? She is excited to get her hands busy and learn from community members about all things politics and elections.

Dominique is a journalist, Cost of Living Fellow and Documenter based in Atlanta. He’s the founder of several well-known media brands, such as South7585News and Dominique Magazine, which are divisions of WRCG Media. He plans to turn the power of the written word, research, and development into strategic, targeted action—especially when it comes to elections.

Nile joined the Canopy community two years ago as a Bankhead/Grove Park fellow. The fellowship opened his eyes to the rate at which lifelong Atlanta residents have been pushed out of their communities due to soaring costs. Now a Documenter, Nile is excited to work on this project because he’s intrigued by the opportunity to help bridge the gap between community members who don’t participate much in the political process and the elected officials who are still responsible for meeting their needs.

Destinee is an Atlanta native, Lakewood Heights Fellow and Documenter. She is interested in elections and political reporting because she wants to understand her community's input on the elections and what they are looking for in governmental representation. She’s always felt as if she didn't have much of a voice in the elections outside of social media, now, she wants to have the opportunity to allow a space for community concerns to be voiced in this election.

India Rice is a recent graduate of Clark Atlanta University, from Atlanta. This fall, she will begin her master’s program in journalism at New York University. Recently, she served as a Community Listening Ambassador for Canopy Atlanta’s Voting Bridges and Barriers Project, where she went into communities with low voter turnout to collect anecdotal data that will contribute to crafting narratives in the fellowship. She hopes to leverage her understanding of the political landscape to inform marginalized communities of Atlanta and beyond.

Norcross Fellow Jack's interest in politics began after closely following the decisions of local legislators during the COVID-19 pandemic. After this, he began to learn more about local election laws in Georgia and delved into the individual responsibilities of locally elected officials. Jack is most excited to report on voter habits, what conditions create these habits, and to connect with the people working tirelessly to educate and encourage the public to vote in every election they're eligible for.