Voters will ultimately decide what happens in the November election, and 11Alive’s political team is working to cut through the noise and ensure that Georgians are at the center of the conversation every day.
Meet Akbar Ali, a Kennesaw State junior and the youngest first vice chair of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party
At just 20 years old, Akbar Ali has made a name for himself in Gwinnett County politics.
“I would be the youngest first vice chair of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party in its history. And I mean, it's an honor to hold this position. If you were to tell me five years ago that I would be, let alone just within, like the political field in general, like I would not believe you,” said Ali.
The Kennesaw State University Junior grew up in Gwinnett County and thrived in the space of creativity as a graphic designer. Before college, Akbar was at Parkview High School, navigating life growing up in Georgia. At Parkview, he dabbled in the art world in the school’s theater department, going for a meal at IHOP after every performance, keeping the tradition alive.
This year will be his first year voting in a Presidential election, and he spoke with 11Alive about what’s driving him to the polls and why he is supporting the Democratic candidate for President, Madam VP Kamala Harris.
His biggest political issue
“It's always been one issue that's core to me. And no matt r what election year it is, I feel like it is the once. It is the i sue to protect above all else, and that's social mobility,” said Ali. “I come fr a background where, you know… I have two younger brothers, but I was really the only one who could witness my parents like building a life for themselves, like within this country after immigrating. And social obility is like the one key issue that I feel like should be prevalent within every single election, because I was raised on the idea that this country was the one in the world where, a son of two immigrant parents, can get involved within the politics of this country and actually hold a position at age 20,” he continued.
His biggest worry
"I'm most concerned about the immense polarization there. It's like, verywhere I turn. There's a r ason I'm not on I'm not active on TikTok or Twitter, and that I use social media mainly for just my political work, and nothing else. It's becaus everywhere I turn, it's almost like every sort of political media is trying to get a rise out of people. They're try ng to get them angry, they're trying to get them fearful. They're try ng to get them to be afraid of each other,” said Ali. “I see that within the Republican messaging at the moment, and like, that's not something I stand for… I function off of hope. If you want my vote, you gotta make me feel hopeful. You gotta m ke me want to feel good about what's coming, what about the future and like, that's that's what's worrying me, about how whatever the results are in November, that, fear will just retain there… like, no matter what we do. That's my f ar,” said Ali.
Who does he plan to vote for?
“I plan to vote for madam, Vice President, Kamala Harris. Going back o when I was in middle school in 2016 when Donald Trump got elected, one of the things I noticed was that it was almost like the permission… it was like people got permission to be more abrasive, to be more… going against the ideals of this country that, I've been raised on. The kind wh re, we are open, we're inclusive, we give equal opportunity to all,” said Ali. “I fully be ieve that the ideals that Vice President Harris stands for, are the kind that we need right now, not the ones where it's us versus them, instead it's we are one, and we can all do this together,” he continued.
What he's most optimistic about
“I'm most optimistic that there will be a sense of just that sense of hope,” said Ali. “I haven’t elt, like happy or optimistic about our politics in a very long time, but as of late, there's been a lot of optimism on my end, around me as well. Like on my ollege campus, within my friends circles, a lot of people are like, we're actually very excited to vote. We're very xcited to be out here to vote, and to volunteer to vote, to dedicate our time and it's something I've never really experienced before,” he continued.
Watch our Voice of the Voter segment during The Georgia Vote Sundays at 11 a.m. on WXIA.