As Congress bargains over more financial relief during the coronavirus pandemic, some of the hundreds of thousands of Georgians who are casting ballots for the Jan. 5 runoffs that will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate are calling for action.
“I think the stimulus is overdue,” said handyman Louis Peters, 64, who voted Monday on the first day of early-in-person balloting in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta. He chose Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock over incumbent Republican U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.
The COVID-19 epidemic has done widespread economic damage in the state. An Associated Press Votecast survey in November found 38% of Georgia voters had someone in their household who lost a job or income because of COVID-19. And for some, the situation is getting worse. The federal government at first offered those who were unemployed $600 and then $300 weekly supplements, but those supports are now long gone.
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