Voter Voices: Women historically outvote men. Here’s what they are voting for.

DeAnna Johnson just gave birth to her first child and said she hopes to have another. But she’s worried if she can afford it.

“She’ll go into daycare services and they’re charging us $1,600 (a month). That’s expensive for one child,” she said. “For us to want to grow our family, what’s the cost of having another child?”

Across Georgia, likely women voters named the cost of living as the single most important issue facing the state heading into the midterm elections, according to a new poll from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Women outnumber and outvote men, making them a key group that could decide Georgia’s tightening midterm elections. There are 500,000 more women in Georgia’s list of registered voters than men. And in the 2024 election, about 67% of females voted compared to 61% of men.

Johnson, 39, is one of four women voters who spoke to the AJC ahead of the midterms. A government affairs consultant on maternity leave, Johnson said she is voting for Republican Rick Jackson for governor because of his business background and his promises to lower taxes and the cost of healthcare — things that are important to her as a new mother.

“Rick Jackson has a good story that’s relatable, and he’s put forth a lot of effort to really climb the political ladder fairly quickly,” she said.

She is undecided on the U.S. Senate race between Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.

Johnson, 39, is one of four women voters who spoke to the AJC ahead of the midterms. A government affairs consultant on maternity leave, Johnson said she is voting for Republican Rick Jackson for governor because of his business background and his promises to lower taxes and the cost of healthcare — things that are important to her as a new mother.

“Rick Jackson has a good story that’s relatable, and he’s put forth a lot of effort to really climb the political ladder fairly quickly,” she said.

She is undecided on the U.S. Senate race between Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.

As a Black woman, she says she’s troubled by Collins, whose campaign has been dogged by neo-Nazi and white nationalist social media posts from his son-in-law, who lives on his property. (Collins has condemned the posts). But she also thinks Ossoff spends too much time attacking Collins in a campaign that has become a hyper-partisan contest.

A new national survey from Engage, a women’s economic security nonprofit, found that women — Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike — overwhelmingly prioritize bipartisanship in politicians and wish Congress would work together to solve problems.

Becky Arrington, a clinical hypnotherapist and co-owner of The Well of Roswell, described her vote as against Trump, whom she said has caused “worldwide chaos.” She sees Jackson as a “Trump acolyte,” saying she is voting for Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms and for Ossoff in the U.S. Senate race.

Arrington said she aligns with their positions on expanding Medicaid, the government-funded health insurance program for people with low incomes, and abortion.

“I don’t like the way (Republicans) focus on pro-birth and not pro-life,” Arrington, 73, said. “Once a child is born, they don’t seem to be concerned whether or not the child can live, whether or not they can eat, whether or not they have free lunches at schools.”

Alice Pickett, 82, is also casting her vote for Jackson and remains undecided in the U.S. Senate race. Pickett no longer works and is struggling to keep up with her bills. She wants to lower property taxes and an end to wasteful government spending.

“I feel Democrats in general overlook the lower middle class — the well-educated folks that didn’t do well but worked all of their lives, and the skilled blue-collar folks who never leaned into services,” she said. “I do not see Keisha or Ossoff talking about them, but some wind up like me, barely able to make it.”

JoEllen Holmes, 63, says that retirement security, healthcare and education are driving her votes for Democrats down the ballot, including Bottoms and Ossoff. Like Arrington, she wants politicians that stand up to Trump.

A behavioral therapist, Holmes plans on retiring in a few years. But she worries about the instability of Social Security and the stock market, which she says could affect her 401(k) and individual retirement account.

“I feel Democrats in general overlook the lower middle class — the well-educated folks that didn’t do well but worked all of their lives, and the skilled blue-collar folks who never leaned into services,” she said. “I do not see Keisha or Ossoff talking about them, but some wind up like me, barely able to make it.”

JoEllen Holmes, 63, says that retirement security, healthcare and education are driving her votes for Democrats down the ballot, including Bottoms and Ossoff. Like Arrington, she wants politicians that stand up to Trump.

A behavioral therapist, Holmes plans on retiring in a few years. But she worries about the instability of Social Security and the stock market, which she says could affect her 401(k) and individual retirement account.

She also worries about the burden of student loans on her son, and his access to healthcare since he is self-employed and has health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.