Over the past few months I have made two trips to Georgia with Julie Winokur to interview and photograph young Georgia voters about the upcoming election on November 5th. Our first trip was to the lovely community of Norcross, where we went four years ago to make a film about the election for Time magazine. Little did we know back then how important Georgia would be in determining the presidential election. This time, we wanted to focus on young voters as they make up one of the most important voting blocs in our electorate and could very well determine the winners of this year’s apocryphal election.
Our first trip was in early June, before Biden had dropped out and Kamala Harris had joined the race. We ended up interviewing only progressives and they had some very interesting things to say. We met a 14 year old from Pakistan who was incredibly articulate, and two who were going to Stanford next year to start their college careers. There were folks who represented the LGBTQ community, racial diversity and all of them expressed a sense of dread at the thought of another Trump presidency.
As Julie and I were heading to the airport to return home, we discussed returning to do this same process with young conservatives, otherwise our work would not have much efficacy in the grand scheme of things. We pitched the idea of a return and thankfully Mother Jones Magazine agreed to back our trip in late September to produce another set of portraits and interviews with young conservative voters in Georgia. We spent time in Athens and Kennesaw, Georgia to meet with these young folks.
It was fascinating to see the differences between the two groups. The progressive youth were casually dressed, unguarded, and deeply passionate about their goals and concerns. The conservative youth showed up in much more formal dress, looking sharp and strong. They also expressed themselves quite well and there was diversity in the group. We were surprised by some of the things they said, but in general, and similarly to the progressive group, they reflected the talking points of each party. I’d say the conservatives were much more on point but also repeated many of the lies and misinformation that Trump has been pushing out.
What we’ve taken away from this project are a few things. Firstly, it’s great to see young Americans engaged in the political process. Secondly, these young voters were articulate and when pressed, were able to conjure up a deeper expression of what they believe in that went beyond each party’s main talking points. Our goal is to bring these voices to light and through this process, hopefully enrich and encourage political dialogue in our polarized society.
You can read the full story published in Mother Jones - “We Need to Save the Country from Further Annihilation” - and listen to what conservative and progressive youth have to say on Talking Eyes Media.
