At a glance: Where Georgia midterm election candidates stand on issues, policies

The Georgia midterm election is underway, with polls open for in-person early voting and absentee ballots arriving in voter mailboxes. Election day is Nov. 8.

The ballot is long with candidates for federal and state offices vying for election. The hopefuls have outlined their stances on a number of issues during the campaign season. While many positions mirror those of the political parties the candidates represent, there is nuance.

USA TODAY Georgia journalists have crafted summaries of the highest-profile issues and how they may impact voter turnout. In addition to that package, here’s a snapshot of candidates’ stated policy positions on several key issues, with a focus on topics related to the offices they are running for.

For more information on candidate positions, visit their campaign websites.

Abortion and reproductive rights

Brian Kemp (governor, Republican): Abortion should be illegal once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, typically around the six-week gestation mark.

Stacey Abrams (governor, Democrat): Abortion should be legal up to 23 weeks, considered the point of fetal viability.

Herschel Walker (U.S. Senate, Republican): Walker is pro-life and has endorse three different positions: Abortion should be illegal in every instance with no exceptions; the federal government should impose a ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy; abortion should be illegal once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, typically around the six-week gestation mark.

Raphael Warnock (U.S. Senate, Democrat): Abortion should be legal up to 23 weeks, considered the point of fetal viability.

Buddy Carter (U.S. House, Republican): Abortion should be illegal in every instance and Congress should ban federal funding for abortion services.

Wade Herring (U.S. House, Democrat): Abortion is health care and should be codified in law.

Burt Jones (lieutenant governor, Republican): Abortion should be illegal except in cases of rape or incest or when continuing the pregnancy endangers the health or life of the mother.

Voter turnout: High turnout likely in November, as the 2020 election still hasn't ended for Georgia voters

What's your issue?: Georgia election candidates leverage voter frustrations to drive turnout

Charlie Bailey (lieutenant governor, Democrat): Abortion should be legal up to 23 weeks, considered the point of fetal viability.

Chris Carr (attorney general, Republican): Doctors who perform abortions should face prosecution under Georgia law.

Jen Jordan (attorney general, Democrat): Georgia’s abortion law violates the state constitution and should not be defended in court.

Education

Brian Kemp (governor, Republican): The state should fully fund K-12 education under the quality basic education formula and parents should have the right to access instructional material.

Stacey Abrams (governor, Democrat): Georgia should raise the minimum salary for K-12 teachers, fund universal Pre-K and invest in needs-based financial aid for higher education, create 20,000 apprenticeships and provide free technical college.

Herschel Walker (U.S. Senate, Republican): Champions K-12 private school voucher programs and ban transgender students from playing on sports teams that don't match the gender on their birth certificate.

Raphael Warnock (U.S. Senate, Democrat): Fully forgive federal students loans and increase funding for HBCUs and students with disabilities.

Buddy Carter (U.S. House, Republican): Supports school choice, opposes “common core” curriculum and limit the role of the U.S. Department of Education.

Wade Herring (U.S. House, Democrat): Invest in early childhood education.

Voting rights guide: For nearly 60 years, Georgia's voting rights laws have shifted with the political winds

Kemp or Abrams?: See which candidate is your closest match

Warnock or Walker?: See which candidate is your closest match

Burt Jones (lieutenant governor, Republican): Expand school choice, prioritize vocational and technical education and emphasize civics-based education meant to foster understanding of the United States’ founding principles.

Richard Woods (state school superintendent, Republican): Close COVID-related learning gaps, promote teacher retention and increase graduation rates.

Alisha Thomas Searcy (state school superintendent, Democrat): Update the quality basic education formula used to find K-12 public schools and support teachers through professional development programs

Voting rights

Brian Kemp (governor, Republican): Limit access to absentee ballot drop boxes by requiring they be placed inside polling locations and make photo ID mandatory to cast in-person and absentee ballots.

Stacey Abrams (governor, Democrat): Legalize Election Day voter registration and impose safeguards to prevent local election officials from being removed from their positions for partisan reasons.

Herschel Walker (U.S. Senate, Republican): Ban absentee ballot drop boxes.

Raphael Warnock (U.S. Senate, Democrat): Restore the federal Voting Rights Act and impose safeguards to prevent local election officials from being removed from their positions for partisan reasons.

Brad Raffensperger (Georgia secretary of state, Republican): Georgia's constitution should be amended to permanently ban non-citizen voting and photo ID must be mandatory to cast ballots.

Bee Nguyen (Georgia secretary of state, Democrat): Make available election materials written in languages other than English and develop kiosks to securely submit vote-by-mail applications.

Gun rights

Brian Kemp (governor, Republican): Allow permitless carry of a concealed handgun in public.

Stacey Abrams (governor, Democrat): Repeal Georgia’s protections for permitless carry, campus carry, and the 2014 “Guns Everywhere” law and require background checks for private transfers and gun show sales.

Buddy Carter (U.S. House, Republican): Oppose federal legislation that would expand gun control.

Wade Herring (U.S. House, Democrat): Expand background checks and impose national “red flag” laws to prohibit those who exhibit violent tendencies from obtaining firearms.

Chris Carr (Georgia attorney general, Republican): Oppose legislation that would limit firearm magazine capacities and support Georgia’s permitless carry law.

Jen Jordan (Georgia attorney general, Democrat): Prioritize a crackdown of the illegal gun trade and support gun control reforms.

Health care

Brian Kemp (governor, Republican): Georgia should expand Medicaid via waivers that include work, school or volunteer hour requirements and launch a reinsurance program that subsidizes health insurers to lower premiums and attract more insurers to the market.

Stacey Abrams (governor, Democrat): Georgia should fully expand Medicaid.

Herschel Walker (U.S. Senate, Republican): Repeal the Affordable Care Act and expand mental health resources across health care pros, law enforcement and the military.

Raphael Warnock (U.S. Senate, Democrat): Pass a federal Medicaid-like program and cap the costs of insulin at $35 a month.

Buddy Carter (U.S. House, Republican): Repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Wade Herring (U.S. House, Democrat): Invest in preventive health care and craft legislation that will reduce the costs of prescription drugs.

Economy

Brian Kemp (governor, Republican): Lower individual income taxes and streamline processes and regulations for small businesses.

Stacey Abrams (governor, Democrat): Create a state-level earned income tax credit.

Buddy Carter (U.S. House, Republican): Cut the federal budget, pay down the national debt without raising taxes and eliminate the Internal Revenue Service.

Wade Herring (U.S. House, Democrat): Invest in infrastructure, including broadband access.

Burt Jones (lieutenant governor, Republican): Eliminate state income tax and reduce permitting and licensing process for small businesses

Environment

Brian Kemp (governor, Republican): Invest in Georgia’s state parks, expand the state’s water and air quality infrastructure and grow clean energy jobs, such as those associated with the EV industry..

Stacey Abrams (governor, Democrat): Create a chief resilience officer as part of the state government to lead environmental policy and initiate a state resilience commission.

Herschel Walker (U.S. Senate, Republican): Make America energy independent through expansion of fossil fuel production.

Raphael Warnock (U.S. Senate, Democrat): Expand solar energy manufacturing.

Buddy Carter (U.S. House, Republican): Supports an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy that includes fossil fuel resource exploration and development of clean energy technology.

Wade Herring (U.S. House, Democrat): Invest in infrastructure that lessens the impact of storm damage and flooding, ban offshore drilling and grow clean energy jobs.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Election 2022: Candidates policy positions at a glance