The recent Lieutenant Governor runoffs came down to a decisive close call for both parties, with Josh McLaurin (Dem) scoring 210,683 votes to Nabilah Parkes’ (Dem) 173,194, and Greg Dolezal (Rep) scoring 374,866 votes to John Kennedy’s 316,776. The representatives who will face off in November’s general elections have been locked in, but before diving deeper into their visions for the future of Georgia and the inner workings of the Lieutenant Governor position, let’s take a brief look at the candidates themselves.
Josh McLaurin, 38, is an attorney, state senator, and University of Georgia (UGA) graduate from Sandy Springs, GA. McLaurin has a strong record of endorsing the restoration of reproductive freedoms, the expansion of Medicaid across Georgia, and fighting to protect Black voters’ rights, among many other things.
Greg Dolezal, 47 years old, is a state senator, a founding member of Fix Forsyth Traffic and Passion City Church, and a North Park Graduate from Joliet, Illinois. Dolezal heavily leans on his allegiance to the president, stating that he “stood with President Trump when it mattered most,” according to his campaign page. Furthermore, Dolezal sponsored the Riley Gaines Act, which requires schools across the state to designate sports teams by their biological sex, which, as one can infer, has been used to place further restrictions on trans youth.
With the baseline of both Dolezal and McLaurin’s politics laid out, there is still a looming question. What makes the Lieutenant Governor position so important?
The Lt. Gov. holds the most power in state government, second only to the Governor themself. Therefore, the candidate who’s elected is highly important to which future policies take precedence and are ratified. But, to gain a fuller understanding, let’s tackle the ins and outs of what it is that a Lt. Gov. is tasked with doing.
The Lt. Gov. (in most states, but especially in the State of Georgia) serves as the head of the state senate, assisting in guiding the passage of laws, and is the tie-breaker for all votes in the senate. On top of that, the Lt. Gov. can step up as Governor in the event of an emergency. Whether that be a temporary health emergency, or if the sitting Governor passes away. Lt. Governors are also a special case, as they have power in two branches of state government: the executive and the legislative. The Lt. Gov. also serves on the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (which is responsible for the issuance of all public debt, among other things) and holds the ability to appoint members to other state boards and commissions.
McLaurin’s push to centralize governmental support toward the working class and marginalized communities, via increasing affordable homeownership, expanding Medicare, and restoring reproductive rights. Dolezal’s push to keep conservatism at the forefront of Georgia’s political infrastructure, by eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the state’s government, ousting prosecutors who are too “soft on crime,” and preventing the “radical left” from taking control. Both of these positions spell very different outcomes for a majority of Georgians. Either the expulsion of rights that generations of grassroots organizers, politicians, and movements fought for in the state of Georgia, or the reinforcement and expansion of said rights.
The fight for “making the right vote” may seem like a massive uphill battle, especially for new or incoming voters, since many wonder what they are supposed to do at the polls or how they can better educate themselves on both these positions and the politicians. The process could be much more linear when the wealth of knowledge is spread amongst the community and continuously passed on.
When asked about what tools she’d recommend to young voters to remain active during and after elections and help enact change through their vote, Britney Whaley, Southeast Regional Director for the Working Families Party stated, “When you send people to elected office, you have to continue to be in relationship with them, that is actually their commitment to you, or should be their commitment to you when they win that seat.”
She continued on by furthering her point, “Once you get into office, that’s not the last time we talk to you. We want to continue to be part of a co-governance project. So, I think that’s the important thing for young people to understand, is in some ways there are some folks who are banking on you and counting on you to not turn out.”
Zion Jones (a new voter himself), 18, from East Point, said when asked about what tools he used to educate himself, “It may sound pretentious, but the library. Studying the past helps you study the future.”
He goes on to expand with more tools he has used, “Everyone knows that you can use Google Scholar. Everyone knows about Wikipedia, because even if you don’t want to use Wikipedia, they still cite their sources under the page. So finding stuff there, and finding stuff from international news outlets, because while they may not have the full perspective on the American experience, or whatever, they still have a perspective and may not have as much bias towards either side.”
