On stage at Emory University’s Harland Cinema, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) pointed to the “I’m a Georgia voter” sticker on his shirt pocket. Ossoff visited campus to speak to students on Oct. 29, immediately after casting his vote at Emory’s 1599 Clifton Road polling place. Young Democrats of Emory organized the event, which was centered on getting the instrumental young voting bloc to the polls.
“Emory, are you ready to vote?” Ossoff asked, earning cheers from the nearly-full auditorium. Ossoff is on a multi-day tour around Georgia for the Harris-Walz campaign. His visit to Emory follows stops at the University of Georgia and cities in southern Georgia.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution polling, votes from Georgians ages 18 to 29 make up 12.3% of early votes cast in the state — 403,733 out of 3,271,867 votes. NPR and Bloomberg report that college turnout will determine Vice President Kamala Harris’ fate in many swing states. Riding on President Joe Biden’s 2020 success with young voters, Harris’ campaign is in the middle of a voting push — consisting of concerts, tailgates and advertising — to target college students in battleground states.
Ossoff advocated for students to vote early while meeting with press before the event, suggesting that voters not wait until Election Day to cast their ballots. He repeatedly emphasized that this election is consequential.
“[Your] car might break down,” Ossoff told The Emory Wheel. “You might have some kind of crisis in your life. Georgia voters are empowered right now to make a decisive difference in a pivotal election, which is deeper than Democrats versus Republicans.”
Ossoff knows the impact a few votes can make. He and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) won Georgia’s Senate seats in 2021, beating former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) by 1.2% and former Sen. Kelly Loeffler by 2%, respectively, in the runoff election.
Exactly one week before election day, Ossoff reminded students during his speech that they still have time to make a difference in the election.
“You still have the privilege and the obligation of shaping history, and I'll tell you that the whole country is looking to see what Georgia does right now,” Ossoff said. “This is a pivotal election for the United States.”
In the months following Biden’s 2020 win over former President Donald Trump, Georgia became the epicenter of a national conversation about Trump’s attempts to overturn the election. Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and asked him to “find 11,780 votes” — the margin by which Biden won Georgia. Ossoff told the Wheel that he appreciates the election officials’ efforts to ensure ballot access and “prevent intimidation of election officials.”
“Do y’all remember the phone call that he made to the Georgia election officials after he lost the state last time?” Ossoff said during his speech. “Where he threatened and badgered Georgia election officials to, quote, ‘Find him the votes’ necessary to win in a state he lost. Remember that? He tried to throw out your votes.”
Ossoff reminded students of the importance of their votes during the event, emphasizing the implications of elections for Georgia residents.
“If you have any doubt, or if any of your classmates have any doubt about whether elections have consequences, go and ask the little girl in South Georgia whose dad has to drive her to the McDonald's to get WiFi to do her homework,” Ossoff said. “This stuff matters.”
Members of Young Democrats, including Vice President Noelle Barile (25C) and Major Events Coordinator Leo Reale (25B), highlighted the challenge of low voter turnout among the younger voting bloc, suggesting that students need to establish voting as a habit.
“Honestly, the reason Young Dems tables all the time is not just for the things we’re trying to accomplish, like getting people to register to vote, about getting people out to the polls,” Barile said. “It's just to constantly be there as a reminder that this is something that is our duty and our right as citizens and it's just having it become a regular part of people's lives.”
First-time voter Ansli Hennings (28C) said that she thinks Ossoff’s visit to campus will encourage students to vote. A Georgia native, she remembered watching Ossoff and Warnock’s runoff races, describing the elections as “scary.”
“I'm freaking out,” Hennings said. “I'm still on the phone with my best friend right now — we're shaking right now — but it's so important. Him being here is going to motivate people because it's such a cool opportunity.”
Ossoff closed his speech by nudging students to consider the importance of the election.
“You need to study, you need to do your homework and get good grades. You need to be there for your families,” Ossoff said. “Then your next highest priority for the next week needs to be working to get out the vote here on campus.”
