Stacey Abrams

What key experiences would you bring to this role?

I am a Yale-trained tax attorney, entrepreneur, writer and small business owner. I served as the House Democratic Leader in the Georgia General Assembly from 2011 until 2017. As Democratic Leader, I stopped legislation that would have created the largest tax increase in Georgia history, keeping more money in the pockets of our families. My executive experience includes founding and implementing strategic plans for New Georgia Project, focused on voter registration; Fair Fight Action and Fair Fight PAC, focused on protecting voting rights; and Fair Count, dedicated to meaningful participation in the Census and civic engagement. Each of these organizations is thriving today and making progress on behalf of the people of Georgia. I also founded and served as executive director of the Southern Economic Advancement Project, which develops and promotes policy solutions to challenges in Georgia and neighboring Southern states.

The cost of living has exploded across the country. Georgia has seen record-breaking increases in housing costs and rent in 2022. What measures do you support to improve housing affordability?

I have a comprehensive housing plan that focuses on the issues of affordability, inventory, gentrification and homelessness. The state currently only invests about $3 million in its affordable housing trust fund. I plan on increasing that by 10 fold to invest in creative solutions to support local governments in addressing housing concerns. These solutions can include funding initiatives like local rental assistance programs to help families avoid eviction and homelessness, second mortgage programs to help people buy their first homes, local housing opportunity bonds to raise money for affordable housing, acquiring and rehabilitating existing affordable housing properties, conversion of extended-stay motels into permanent rental housing, expanding the Georgia DREAM program to assist first time homeowners with down payment assistance, financing property tax deferments for low- and moderate-income households facing rapidly rising property taxes and many others. 

I will improve housing affordability and quality through legislative means that have not been supported by the current governor. These can include requiring a certificate of habitability to be included in all rental contracts, eliminating constraints that prevent town, city, and county governments from encouraging development of affordable housing, requiring more affordability requirements on companies that receive tax credits for affordable housing, and prohibiting income discrimination by landlords. 

I will develop a statewide comprehensive plan to address homelessness. I will also create a statewide emergency rental assistance program. Currently, the state has over $450 million in federal emergency rental assistance funding it has refused to deploy. An Abrams administration would work collaboratively across the state to ensure we are deploying these funds as quickly as possible to those on the edge of homelessness. I also support increasing the number of shelter beds available to domestic violence victims. Please see my full housing plan at staceyabrams.com. 

Do you support the enactment of Georgia’s Election Integrity Act of 2021 (S.B. 202)? Why or why not? What other policies related to voting would you support?

I opposed S.B. 202, Brian Kemp’s 2021 anti-voter legislation. It was fueled by disinformation, rushed through committee and signed by him behind closed doors to avoid public scrutiny. This bill, he admitted in May, was introduced in response to frustration about the result of the 2020 election, and makes it harder for Black, brown, elderly, disabled, and young voters to cast their ballots. This bill represented a solution in search of a problem, and imposed cruel and unnecessary restrictions on voting. It drastically changed the vote by mail process that Black voters relied on in 2020 by shortening the vote by mail request period and reducing drop boxes in heavily democratic counties. It makes it a crime to hand out food and water to voters standing in line when we know voters of color are more likely to experience longer wait times than white voters. It granted an unelected State Election Board power to replace local election officials that have significant responsibilities over voter access and election certification. SB 202 also allows a single elector to challenge an unlimited number of voters. Tens of thousands have been challenged this year, burdening elections officials at their busiest time of year.

As governor, I will protect and expand the freedom to vote. I will provide consistency for voters across all 159 counties, and ensure that counties have the training, resources and flexibility needed to serve their voters and work with the Secretary of State to do so. I will make voting more accessible by mandating a fair allocation of polling places and polling place resources during early voting and on Election Day, and ensuring that polling locations are stable, convenient and equitable to voters. We will invest in mobile voting precincts to assist seniors, disabled Georgians and Georgians voting in areas with long wait times. Voters should not have to pay for postage for mail ballots, and their votes should count if they’re in the correct county on Election Day, as they do in Early Voting. Lastly, I will veto maps with gerrymandered districts, whether state legislative or Congressional and will advocate to end the practice of state interference and restore local control in local elections.

An estimated 10% of people living in Georgia are immigrants. Our state also hosts several migrant detention centers, with the Folkston center expected to be one of the largest in the nation after the Biden administration approved its expansion earlier this year. What policy reforms do support for handling immigration influxes to our state?  What is your stance on immigration, and how do you foresee working with the Federal government on issues related to immigration? 

I believe every person should be treated with basic human dignity and respect, including members of the immigrant community who are integral to our state. As governor, I will pursue fair, just, and comprehensive immigration reform and balance the conversation of safety with the need to create a pathway to citizenship for individuals in this country. 

• I strongly oppose the cruel and immoral practice of separating migrant children from their parents. Regardless of political party, all of us must stand up and speak up for the voiceless — or risk inflicting irreparable damage on these families and to our nation.

• I will also work collaboratively to improve community relations with immigrant communities. Georgia must reject behavior that forces immigrants into the shadows and prevents immigrants from reporting crimes, either as a victim or a witness. That system undermines the ability of law enforcement to do their jobs and harms us all.

• I will ensure DREAMers have access to all of Georgia's universities and colleges and the HOPE scholarship program. I will defend the rights of DREAMers as they pursue their educational goals. My plan for higher education helps put every Georgian on a pathway to debt-free post-secondary education. Many people do not realize that the governor has the ability to appoint the Board of Regents, which oversees our post-secondary system. As governor, I will make sure immigrants, women, people of color, and people with disabilities serve on the Board of Regents. 

Do you believe there is a problem that exists and needs to be addressed regarding policing? What steps can the Governor’s office take to improve public safety and address concerns about policing in a way that supports trust, safety, and community?

Trotting out the same old ‘tough on crime’ playbook of over policing and incarceration will never address the fundamental causes of violent crime and only serves to further alienate law enforcement from the communities that they serve. I believe in a systematic approach to addressing violence that includes restoring trust and building relationships between communities and the police. Members of law enforcement deserve a living wage for the critical work that they do. We have a severe officer shortage across the state that puts officers and community members in dangerous situations. By increasing officer pay, we can attract more and high-quality candidates to the field. We can also restore community trust in the police by developing guidelines for key police department policies governing community relations and the use of force, creating training standards that emphasize de-escalation, tying state funding to local department adoption of best practices, and requiring accountability for unlawful police violence and misconduct. Finally, by investing in mental health and community based services, we can reduce overall crime and ease police-community relations. Please read my full plan at staceyabrams.com.