MCDONOUGH, Ga. — Georgia is one of the true swing states in the nation, meaning that the election results here could help determine who wins the White House.
Campaigns are going to spend serious money on polling and staff in an attempt to understand the electorate. However, on The Georgia Vote, we think the best way to get to know our neighbors is by talking with them face to face.
Meet Jake Carter, Georgia farmer
Jake Carter is a fifth-generation farmer. He runs Southern Belle Farm in McDonough, which has evolved into an agritourism destination.
"My great-grandfather was a sharecropper. He didn't own any land. He saved up enough money to buy part of what the farm is today," Carter said. "There's nothing like raising a family on a family farm that I was raised on."
Issues he cares about
Agriculture regulation
"I'm a farmer. I work in the dirt for a living," Carter said.
He explained that there are a lot of factors that impact his occupation and way of life.
"You know, there's so many uncertainties when it comes to agriculture," he said. "There's disease, there's weather, environments that we're not guaranteed to make a crop. Any time that we can encourage our elected officials to stop the regulatory overreach into agriculture."
Inflation
Carter expressed that farming takes a big investment each season and rising costs threaten to cut into margins that already are often thin.
"The cost of things right now. It costs a lot to put a crop on the plates of Americans now, you know, the inflation's real," he said.
Carter's take on this 2024 election season:
When asked about his worries this election season, Carter said he's thinking about his family's future.
"The thing that concerns me is in this country today, on both sides of the aisle, I think we spend too much time focusing on issues that divide us as a country, and that concerns me for my kids and my grandchildren," he said.
As for what he's optimistic about, he said there's a path forward.
"I think as I'm concerned about the future of our country, I think that Americans probably feel the same way. They think about their kids and their grandkids and, you know, we as a country need to start putting elected officials in office -- no matter what side of the aisle -- that have the best interest of the American people and quit fighting over partisan politics," he said. "I mean the things that go back and forth-- there's work to be done as a country. Focus on the things that unite us. Let's move forward as a country."
Watch our Voice of the Voter segment during The Georgia Vote Sundays at 11 a.m. on WXIA.
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