Stories From the Field: Less Than a Week Until the Senate Runoff, Abortion Is Motivating Georgia Voters to the Polls — Again

Planned Parenthood Votes on track to knock 75,000 doors by election

ATLANTA — With less than a week until Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff election on December 6 and record-breaking early voting already underway, hundreds of thousands of Peach State voters are casting their ballots to re-elect reproductive rights champion Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock.

As part of Planned Parenthood Votes’ continued seven-figure investment in Georgia’s high-stakes U.S. Senate race, advocates are working around the clock to ensure voters know their rights are still on the ballot and when, where, and how to vote in the runoff. After engaging hundreds of thousands of Georgians in the midterms, organizers and volunteers are again reaching voters through phone- and text-banking and door-to-door canvassing, and are on track to knock 75,000 doors by the election.

Planned Parenthood Votes canvassers engage with voters across Georgia

Heading into the runoff next week, abortion remains top-of-mind for Georgians with the state’s devastating six-week abortion ban now back in effect and thousands of people cut off from care before they even know they’re pregnant. Georgians’ lived experiences will inform their decision on who they trust to represent them in Washington: Sen. Warnock, a proven champion for reproductive freedom and affordable, accessible health care for all; or Herschel Walker, a fringe, anti-abortion rights zealot who supports a total ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the patient’s life.

The contrast is stark, and Georgians are fired up to vote – again — to restore and protect their rights. But don’t just take our word for it: Read on to hear what Georgia voters are telling Planned Parenthood Votes canvassers across the state.

• Canvassers spoke with a Georgian who said they voted for Walker in the general election but are now voting for Sen. Warnock in the runoff because they realized Walker’s anti-abortion position is dangerous.
• Several more voters said they were voting across traditional party lines, in some cases for the first time in decades, to support Sen. Warnock — including one woman who said she was casting her vote solely because of Warnock’s support for abortion rights. 
• Another voter told canvassers he couldn’t understand why anyone would support Walker in light of his violent past; he shared that he was voting for Sen. Warnock and would encourage others to do the same at his Bible study.
• One young voter told canvassers that he felt like his peers were getting more involved in politics and supported Sen. Warnock not because of his party affiliation, but because “he actually cares about where we are from” and supports reproductive freedom.
• A voter thanked canvassers for their continued efforts to maintain momentum and get out of the vote, adding that he felt confident that turnout would be high again in the runoff — even among communities that historically don’t vote — because of their work on the ground.
• Canvassers encountered a new American citizen who hadn’t yet registered to vote. They helped him make a plan to register, and even though he won’t be able to vote in the runoff, he appreciated the assistance and was excited to start participating in democracy.
• One phone-banker was making calls for Planned Parenthood Votes with her seven-year-old daughter in the room, telling her, “I’m doing this for you, little girl!”

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Planned Parenthood Votes is an independent expenditure political committee registered with the Federal Election Commission.