Jon Ossoff for Congress

What’s the issue? Georgia’s sixth congressional district is holding a special election to replace Tom Price, who is now Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat who has never served in elected office, is polling well and is expected to make the race to fill the seat competitive. Meanwhile, 11 Republicans are also running and potentially splitting the Republican ticket. In Georgia’s primaries, unless one candidate wins over 50% of the total vote, there is a runoff between the top two finishers, regardless of their party.

Why do I care? Electing members to Congress who represent your views is one of the best ways to make your voice heard. After all, these are the people who make and pass our laws. In the last presidential election, only 60% of eligible Americans voted. That means only 28% of eligible voters voted for Trump. Imagine how things could have turned out different if everyone had had a voice in the election.

Additionally, this election may set the tone for future Congressional elections. Democrats hope to gain many seats in both the House and the Senate in 2018 as part of a backlash against Trump’s presidency. Democrats believe that affluent suburban districts like Georgia’s sixth have the potential to swing Democratic for the first time in decades. This will be their first chance to test that theory and gain momentum for 2018.

So, does Jon Ossoff represent your views? Here are his positions on a few of his priority issues according to his website:

The economy: Jon will work to lower taxes for small businesses, ensure health premiums don’t hurt businesses or force layoffs, defend equal pay for equal work for women and minorities, and support a minimum wage indexed to cost of living.

Health care: Jon will work to defend Medicare and Medicaid, ensure young people can stay on the family plan, prevent discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions, and ensure veterans swiftly get the care and benefits they’ve earned. Jon will defend women’s access to contraception and a woman’s right to choose and fight any legislation or executive action that would allow insurance companies to discriminate against women.

Civil rights and civil liberties: Jon will fight against discrimination, hate speech, or violence against Americans on the basis of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or place of birth. Jon will stand up for due process and equal treatment under law for all of us, regardless of race or income level. Jon will honor law enforcement and stand up for Georgians who are mistreated by the criminal justice system. Jon will oppose legislation or executive action that undermines Americans’ access to private communications and strong encryption. Jon will oppose attempts by politicians to win elections by undermining Americans’ voting rights.

Jon’s other priorities include:

• Women’s Health Care & Planned Parenthood
• National Security
• Honoring & Defending Seniors
• The Environment
• Education
• Criminal Justice
• Anti-Corruption

You can also check out Jon’s opponents to see if their views match yours better.

Other Democrats: Ragin Edwards, Richard Keatley, Rebecca Quigg, and Ron Slotin

Republicans: David Abroms, Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan, Keith Grawert, Bob Gray, Karen Handel, Judson Hill, Amy Kremer, Bruce LeVell, William Llop, Dan Moody, and Kurt Wilson

Independents: Alexander Hernandez and Andre Pollard

What to do if you care too:

1. VOTE! If you live in Georgia’s sixth district, vote in the election on April 18th. You can also get information on how to vote early here.
2. If you don’t live in Georgia’s sixth district (or if you do), you can donate to Jon’s campaign here.
3. If you have friends and family who live in Georgia’s sixth district you can talk to them and encourage them to vote. Make sure to ask them to share their voting plan (eg- when they will vote, how they will get to the polls, what they will do for childcare, etc) with you, which has been shown to increase turnout.
4. You can volunteer for Jon’s campaign here.
5. Regardless of the outcome, stay informed and engaged. Download the Countable app (iPhone or Android) and sign up for their newsletter. The app gives you an overview of what Congress is currently debating, and makes it easy to contact your representatives to express your views.

Further reading:

1. Anyone who votes for Jon Ossoff should be familiar with his platform. Read about it here.