With the midterms looming, young Georgia voters weigh a tense political moment

A group of University of Georgia undergrads gather on campus in Athens on September 30, 2022. (Sam Gringlas/WABE)

Young voters ages 18 to 29 make up 17% of Georgia’s electorate. They’ve also participated in recent elections at higher rates than young voters nationwide, so they could play an important role in determining the outcome of this year’s midterms.

Some of the nation’s biggest challenges, like climate change and threats to democracy, will end up in the laps of today’s young voters. Before Election Day, I drove to the University of Georgia’s leafy campus in Athens to meet a handful of undergrads studying politics.

We didn’t talk much about Republican Gov. Brian Kemp or Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. Instead, we spent some time talking about this moment — and how this group is thinking about their future and the country’s.