Candidate Forum two hosted by twelve local organizations to encourage attendees to vote
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Just a few weeks away from Primary Tuesday in Georgia, voters heard directly from candidates in several local races today.
Twelve local organizations came together to host the candidate forum at A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School. It featured candidates for Superior Court Judge, District Attorney, Georgia State Representative District 129, and Richmond County Sheriff, along with the upcoming referendums.
“All of our organizations wants you to go vote. That is the purpose. This is a voter education event. We want people to be informed,” said Janice Allen Jackson, Augusta Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. “There’s nothing worse than going to cast a vote and either you don’t know you know, what you should be thinking about when you cast that vote. Or you go in thinking about the wrong things and cast a vote that’s not in your best interest.”
The turnout was much larger for this forum, with many of the candidates involved in county-wide races. Many were there to learn more about how the law works and see the platforms of the people speaking.
“I am here to be informed and to get more information is to the candidates and what their platform is So I can better make a, make a better decisions. And so that I can encourage and inform others who are not aware of what is going on,” said Arbernice Rouse – Attendee.
Others enjoyed being able to ask the candidates questions in real-time.
“It’s nice to have the person to the words. It’s also nice to see how other people are so engaged and wanting to come out and support things like this in our community,” said Malcolm Townsend, Attendee. “You can start seeing more reactions and understanding how people react in real-life situations. Versus being very polished. You get a lot more raw because they are taking questions from the audience; you get not premeditated answers.”
Early Voting starts Monday. The primary day is May 21st.
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