Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part series for which State Affairs spoke with voters across the state about their most pressing concerns this election season. Their answers were vastly varied and, in some cases, surprising. Read Part 1 here.

First-time voter Miracle Jones plans to cast her vote for Donald Trump. Fitzgerald farmer and power company engineer Anthony Carter voted for Kamala Harris.

The two couldn’t be more diametrically opposed, but they agree on one thing: State leaders should spend some of Georgia’s hefty $16 billion surplus fixing roads, improving public transit and updating infrastructure in this car-dependent state. 

“Fix the roads because they’re tearing up people’s vehicles,” said Jones, a 27-year-old human resources consultant, when asked her opinion on where the dollars should be directed. 

Church administrator Susan Starling, 76, characterized Georgia’s roads as “in need” in response to the question.

Carter, a 61-year-old retired Navy veteran and registered independent, agreed, albeit from a broader perspective. 

“We should be improving infrastructure and schools and improving the housing we’ve got,” he said.

Georgia had a $16 billion surplus at the end of fiscal year 2023, the result of years of persistently low revenue estimates, according to Danny Kanso, senior fiscal analyst at the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute. Kanso has urged state leaders to invest the money in child care, upgrade the public school system’s fleet of buses and address workforce needs.

In Georgia, 87.6% of workers drove to work, spending an average of 4.9 hours of commute time a week, according to a 2021 Metro Atlanta CEO report. A Georgia driver has an average one-way commute of 28.4 minutes, one of the highest commute times in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

State leaders are working to improve the roads with the help of federal money.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced in July new details of the $1.5 billion investment in transportation infrastructure across the state as part of the amended fiscal year 2024 budget.

The investment is expected to more than double the state’s funding to cities and counties for local transportation infrastructure. It will provide more money for general aviation airports, resurface more state highways and speed up completion of key transportation projects already underway. 

In addition to fixing infrastructure, voters said the surplus should be used to:

•  Reward taxpayers through tax refunds or credits
•  Create more affordable housing
•  Update the public school system’s Quality Basic Education formula
•  Expand Medicaid in Georgia
•  Improve gun safety

To gauge their opinions on a wide range of issues, State Affairs spoke with voters from different parts of the state and of varying political affiliations, ethnic backgrounds and age groups. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Age: 61 

Residence: Fitzgerald

Job: Farmer who also works as a field engineer for a large power company; retired Navy veteran

Political affiliation: Independent 

Have you voted? Yes

What motivated you to vote? I’m not too keen on who’s in office. My concern is about the office itself. I voted Democrat. I like the ability to hire and fire if a politician is not doing their job.

Top concerns: Preserving Democracy and personal freedom and civil liberties. I’m for abortion, but I have no right to tell somebody else what they can do with their body. 

Who is your presidential choice? Kamala Harris. 

Did you vote along party lines? No. In some cases, I didn’t have a choice.

Down-ballot races you’re interested in: Not really.

How well are state leaders managing our state budget? I’m hoping they’re doing well, but I really don’t know.

What should we do with Georgia’s $16 billion surplus? We should be improving infrastructure and schools and improving the housing we’ve got.

How well are state leaders dealing with cost-of-living challenges? Not well.

Is the state doing enough to create affordable housing options? There should be startup housing programs that help people get on their feet.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the election? Not sure. It’s too close. I just hope it isn’t our last election.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the direction the country is headed? Optimistic.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the direction Georgia is headed? Optimistic.

Age: 58

Residence: Savannah 

Job: College professor of public health

Political affiliation: Independent

Have you voted? Yes. 

What motivated you to vote? I’m a pretty consistent voter. It’s a civic duty.

Top concerns: My biggest concern is the stability of our democracy after Jan. 6 [2021, the day of the U.S. Capitol insurrection]. With all the hurricanes we’re having, climate change is another concern. Health in general, everything from funding for public health programs, Medicaid, Medicare and support for the Affordable Care Act.

Who is your presidential choice? Kamala Harris.

Did you vote along party lines? Since Jan. 6, I’ve tended to vote mostly Democrat, but I did vote for one or two Republicans locally.

Down-ballot races you’re interested in: There weren’t really any that stood out for me this particular election. It was mostly the national election.

How well are state leaders managing our state budget? Georgia seems to be a prosperous state. I would say they’re doing a pretty good job. I’m concerned that Georgia’s alternative to expanding Medicaid is costing more to insure few people. It just seems like the obvious solution is to expand Medicaid the way the other states have.

What should we do with Georgia’s $16 billion surplus? With that surplus, we need to look to the future. Invest it smartly in infrastructure for the long-term growth of our state, as well as maybe return some of it to the taxpayers. 

How well are state leaders dealing with cost-of-living challenges? Leaders, from Gov. Kemp to the president, have limited things they can do with economic issues. [A lot of] people are like, ‘Oh, you know, whoever is elected is going to change the price of gas or lower the cost of a house or make groceries cheaper.’ It’s out of their control for the most part.

Is the state doing enough to create affordable housing options? I don’t honestly know what they can do other than to go to builders and say, “We as the state are going to pay you to build an apartment complex or housing, and we’re going to pay part of the price.” I haven’t seen most Americans wanting that kind of intervention. Most people like the free market and market forces to take care of things. But [there needs to be] some sort of balance between that and maybe setting up a limit saying foreign homes or rental homes can only be X percentage of a neighborhood.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the election? I am terrified of this election. It creates a lot of anxiety. This is an election between a person who is going to be a traditional, stable leader of basic, good government, like Gov. Kemp or Joe Biden, or [a person who sows] chaos. 

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the direction the country is headed? I’m rather optimistic. Unemployment is low. My retirement funds have increased a lot under the Biden administration. I see technological change. I know many people are suffering and having challenges, but at the same time the folks who complain about things are still going out buying a lot. They’re going out to eat a lot. So I think there’s a disconnect between people complaining because prices are higher, but at the same time actions show that they’re pretty prosperous.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the direction Georgia is headed? I’m optimistic about Georgia currently. But I worry that all of the positive directions our country is going will do a 180 under Trump. I fear things would just become chaotic, like if they deport all the farmworkers who work here in Georgia. If they deport all of the people who work in our hospitality industry in Savannah and other places. It just seems like all the things he’s talked about would bring chaos rather than a stable government.

Age: 27

Residence: Smyrna

Job: Two full-time jobs as a human resources consultant

Political affiliation: Republican, first-time voter

Have you voted? No. I’m waiting to find out the status of my voter registration application, which I submitted in early October.

What’s motivating you to vote? Being able to keep my religious freedom intact. I’m a Christian, a heavy believer in most of [Donald Trump’s] principles. It’s going to allow me to continue to be a believer out in public. He [Trump] is protecting my religious freedom, whereas the Democratic Party, they’re threatening it. I’m anti-abortion. Now, when it comes to exceptions, such as rape and incest, that’s a whole different story. But most of the people, statistically, that’s not why they’re getting abortions. It’s usually due to irresponsibility. And that’s just murder. 

Top concerns: See answer above.

Who is your presidential choice? Donald Trump.

Will you vote along party lines? Most likely will vote straight Republican. 

Are there any down-ballot races you’re interested in? No.

How well are state leaders managing our state budget? I don’t think they’re managing it very well. I don’t think they’re spending enough on road construction and other infrastructure.

What should we do with Georgia’s $16 billion surplus? Fix the roads, because they’re tearing up people’s vehicles.

How well are state leaders dealing with cost-of-living challenges? Georgia is becoming very much unaffordable. Now it’s to the point where people who want to move to better apartments are stuck in apartments that are rundown and need better maintenance. If they try to leave their apartment, they’re going to end up paying way higher rents, and that’s people of all ages. Buying a home now has become way out of reach. It’s hard to find a house that’s about $350,000 and in a decent area.

Is the state doing enough to create affordable housing options? No. Not at all.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the election? It could go either way. I’m more optimistic than pessimistic.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the direction the country is headed? That depends on who gets in office. If the Democrats get in office, I’ll definitely be pessimistic.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the direction Georgia is headed? I don’t know.

Age: 22

Residence: Athens 

Job: University of Georgia senior majoring in political science and international affairs; also works full-time for a nonprofit

Political affiliation: Democrat

Have you voted? No.

Do you plan to vote? Yes. 

What’s motivating you to vote? In the past, I’ve been more motivated to vote and have been a local Democrat, but not so much this year. I’m concerned about the ongoing genocide in Palestine that’s occurring under President Biden’s watch. 

Top concerns: The Israel-Hamas conflict. The Democratic policies are becoming more right wing and conservative as a whole. Immigration. The economy and transgender rights. 

Who is your presidential choice? Undecided.

Will you vote along party lines? I’ll probably vote blue on some of the down-ballot races.

What down-ballot races are you interested in? In the district attorney race in Athens, I will most likely vote for Deborah Gonzalez, who is the more progressive candidate. 

How well are state leaders managing our state budget? More money could be allocated to communal needs such as housing and education. Hurricane Helene sort of highlighted those needs.

What should we do with Georgia’s $16 billion surplus? We’re going through a huge housing crisis in Atlanta and other cities. We need to spend more money on creating affordable housing. The funding formula for education hasn’t been updated in decades. We need to address that and put more money toward public education. I don’t think school vouchers are fair.

How well are state leaders dealing with cost-of-living challenges? Until they fix the housing crisis and until rent is no longer 50% of some people’s budgets, then groceries and utilities and all that stuff is never going to be affordable. 

Is the state doing enough to create affordable housing options? No, and as a result they’ve disenfranchised a lot of folks.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the election? I’m somewhat pessimistic because both candidates feel somewhat damaged in terms of their ideologies. I’m not in favor of Trump or his policies. And even if Kamala Harris wins, she has neglected Muslim voters and other people who’ve been historically marginalized, such as poor people.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the direction the country is headed? Pessimistic.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the direction Georgia is headed? My focus has been so much on the national and international scene that I haven’t had much time to focus on Georgia politics.

Have questions? Contact Tammy Joyner on X @lvjoyner or at [email protected].

Read these related stories:

‘There’s a lot on the line’: Voters across Georgia weigh in

Need a refresher on key state races this election? We’ve got you covered

An early primer: 7 things you need to know before the Nov. 5 election

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