Davante Jennings says he grew up having political conversations around the dinner table.
“Growing up, my father would have dinnertime conversations with us,” Jennings says. “We would always talk politics.”
But in 2016, following Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump, Jennings said he felt disillusioned with the system and began to sit out of the process.
Fast-forward to 2024, the fresh-faced 27-year-old is the chairman of the Young Democrats of Georgia Black Caucus.
“I understand a little bit more how the process works. And me just sitting there casting a vote and not getting active doesn’t win elections,” says Jennings, who also volunteers with the New Georgia Project.
Jennings’ story is not unique. In 2016, 4 out of 10 eligible Americans didn’t vote in presidential elections. By 2020, that number was down to 1 in 3.
Jennings hopes that the number of irregular voters keeps dwindling during this election cycle.
He also told “Politically Georgia” that some of his younger friends are divided on voting for an 81-year-old President Joe Biden.
“So my friends on the young Dem side are, of course, all blue all day,” Jennings says. “But my friends who are less involved and not civically engaged, I am hearing, you know, talk of people saying, ‘Hey, you know, the Democratic Party feels like, you know, they are guaranteed our vote.’ ”
When it comes to engaging Black voters across Georgia, Jennings also encourages organizers to address voters’ issues outside of metro Atlanta.
He hopes candidates focus on addressing food deserts and rural hospitals. “The issues inside (I-285) do not necessarily represent the issues that people face outside of (I-285),” Jennings says.
Thursday on “Politically Georgia”: Democratic state Rep. Michelle Au and Republican consultant Cole Muzio join the show.
