Before you cast your vote this election cycle, choose wisely. Most of the attention is on the national election, but people should also focus on local elections.
We have three County Commissioner members up for re-election, and some Board of Education members up for re-election. We also have someone who is on the Fayette County Development Authority who is asking to be selected for County Commissioner.
Before you vote, ask yourself, “Do these individuals represent what I envision for our community”? If they do, then re-elect or vote for them.
If you envision more data centers, retail, apartments, traffic, all in the name of growth, they should be elected. If you’re tired of looking at trees, and asphalt is more your thing, then, yes, they need to stay in office.
If you enjoy driving around Fayette County and Fayetteville currently and enjoy all the construction on Ga. Highway 54, then, yes, vote for them. If you enjoy sitting in traffic now just to get past Stonewall Avenue, then, yes, they should stay in office.
If you appreciate the Data Center and all it brings, you should vote for Mr. Hicks, because I’m sure he will offer more things like this for you.
If you appreciate the FCBOE keeping 70 administrative positions over direct student employees, then continue to vote those people in. If you like the way the current budget is going, and tax increase, then continue to vote for current members.
Voting is a choice and we all must decide what is best for us, the community, and the nation as a whole. Sometimes the choice may be difficult, and none of the candidates fit your view.
Sometimes the best candidate may not be the party of your choice.
For someone who will usually vote the party line, this year for the local election I will have to change my stance. I have decided to choose wisely, after seeing what has happened locally.
Nelva Nielsen
Fayette County resident
When asking what the percentage of people that educate THEMSELVES on issues vs voters that vote based purely on emotions. This is what was reported.
It is difficult to pinpoint an exact percentage of voters who vote based on being fully educated on the issues versus those who vote primarily based on emotions. However, studies suggest that voter decision-making tends to involve a mix of both rational and emotional factors. Several factors influence how voters make decisions:
Educated Voters• Issue-based Voting: Some voters are highly informed, basing their decisions on specific policies, platforms, or candidates’ track records. These voters tend to follow news, research candidates, and engage with factual information.
Demographics: More educated voters (those with college degrees or higher) are more likely to engage in issue-based voting, although education doesn’t always guarantee that a person votes strictly based on logic.
Emotion-Driven Voters•Emotional and Identity Voting: Many voters, regardless of education level, may vote based on emotions, personal values, or identity politics. They may be influenced by how a candidate makes them feel, how they align with their social or cultural identity, or how they perceive a candidate’s personality.
Charismatic Leadership: Candidates who are charismatic, offer strong emotional appeals, or align with a voter’s feelings of fear, anger, or hope can sway votes based on emotional resonance rather than issue-based analysis.
Mixed Influence•Partisanship: A significant percentage of voters may be influenced by party affiliation. Once voters align with a party, they often view policies and candidates through that lens, combining identity, emotion, and issue-based concerns.
Studies and Data•Research shows that heuristics (mental shortcuts) play a major role in voting, meaning many voters rely on simple cues like party affiliation, endorsements, or single issues they feel strongly about.
The 2016 and 2020 U.S. elections revealed that emotions, particularly fear and anger, were powerful motivators for many voters, with emotional appeals from candidates driving turnout and decisions.
Exact percentages are hard to define, but many estimates suggest that a majority of voters are influenced by a combination of both rational analysis and emotional appeal. Studies suggest that up to 60-70% of voters rely heavily on emotional or partisan cues, while a smaller percentage may deeply engage with the policy details and issues.
So perhaps turning off the tv and social media and actually reading about what’s going on through actual unbiased data would be helpful. However most people have poor attention spans and enjoy being herded.
Good advice: take a hard look at the local incumbents! I am not a fan of any of the commissioners running for reelection, despite sharing a political party label with them. While not a big fan of Mr. Hicks, I’ve researched the Development Authority, trying to better understand how we got to where we are. In 2014, the FCDA make up was changed, giving the County 5 members instead of 4. The 4 of the 9 positions are 1 each for the PTC Airport Authority (not under municipal control), PTC, Tyrone, and Fayetteville. When the county made changes, they charged their appointees with attracting younger, newer companies such as high tech. Apparently, FCDA has done exactly what they were charged to do. The county’s 5 seats plus Fayetteville’s 1 gives a clear monopoly, explaining the data center. Apparently, County is happy with the way FCDA is operating, because at least two of the members have been reappointed when their original appointment from 2014 ended. Hicks is one of those. Honestly, I am tired of the non-transparent way County operates and hope enough citizens are as well and that we will see new faces serving us at the first Board of Commissioners meeting in Jan. ’25.