ATLANTA — Democrats in Georgia will have to broaden their reach outside of left-leaning metro areas to rural parts of the state to be successful in their quest to flip the Peach State blue.

But that task has proven a challenge after the COVID-19 pandemic upended years of strategizing for the 2020 election. After switching to an all virtual platform, local party organizers and candidates have had to quickly pivot to Zoom meetings, aggressive social media strategies and other ways to reach voters without being face-to-face.

With only two months left before what many are hailing the “most important election of our lifetime,” party members are hopeful increased Democratic enthusiasm in rural areas will offset any setbacks that emerged from COVID-19.

The party remains adamant that prioritizing voter safety over in-person canvassing will give them an edge on the Republican strategy that has taken an opposite approach.

“Our role as Democrats is we are earning voters’ trust by showing that we believe in science, we believe in public health and, most of all, we want to protect their lives,” Maggie Chambers, spokeswoman for the Democratic Party in Georgia said. “So, obviously, there are certain challenges that we are embracing with having to embrace this new normal of COVID-19.”

Originally from Athens, 22-year-old Jared Warner has been helping the party organize in North Georgia after participating in a party program that helps young people learn to organize in their own states. This time of year, young organizers would often be busy with trips to college campuses to interact with and energize young voters.

But for Warner, the ethics behind sticking to online events is personal. His grandfather died from COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic.

“I think it’s important to model appropriate safe behavior,” he said. “When our state leadership has failed us the way it has, we have to step in and be that voice of reason.”

Trying to sway undecided, swing and even traditionally Republican voters in rural areas of Georgia isn’t a simple task even without the constraints of the pandemic. Warner said Georgia residents aren’t used to the type of political activity the state is seeing ahead of the 2020 election.

The Democratic National Convention highlighted numerous “rising star” members of the party in Georgia — Stacey Abrams, 2018 gubernatorial candidate, along with the first openly gay legislator to serve in the state Capitol, Rep. Sam Park. But in rural areas of the state, Democrats are often still a rare sight.

Bette Holland, chair of the Dawson County Democrats, said putting up party billboards on major highways this year was a huge step. The county with a population of about 26,000 people has less than 1,000 Democratic voters, she said.

Still, the group has been able to raise thousands of dollars to send to “battleground” candidates across the state through events such as a virtual silent auction.

“More often than not I get voters who say ‘wow, I didn’t know there were any Democrats in Dawson County,’” Holland said. “All we need is 3 or 4% of people that voted Republican last time to vote Democratic. … If we can do that in North Georgia then we can flip the whole state.”

But Holland said sometimes her older volunteer base can get overwhelmed during video meetings when they are outlining virtual ways of reaching voters.

“I just tell everyone to be patient and keep on moving on, because it’s just like it is with the phone calling,” she said. “If you get one person a day to listen to your values or one person a week to listen to what your values are, and you’ve made a stand for the Democratic Party.”

Warner has to field requests from volunteers who aren’t comfortable using technology but are willing to go out door-to-door.

“It’s a challenge because a lot of people that I’ve spoken with aren’t comfortable using technology to fill in a text bank or just aren’t comfortable doing it in general,” he said. “Many people tell me well if you’re having events or if I could just go door-to-door, I would love to help out. And it is a hard thing as an organizer to tell someone that I love your enthusiasm, but we can’t do that. It’s all about redirecting that enthusiasm.”

The pandemic has exacerbated another issue rural Georgians struggle with daily: widespread lack of broadband. Especially for the rural educational system, the lack of internet connection has impacted thousands as efforts to curb the spread of the virus were instituted.

Expansion of rural broadband has become a key campaign issue for state and federal candidates.

“Not everyone has a good broadband or cellular access in North Georgia especially in the mountains,” Warner said. “So there is a physical restriction on how many people we can get involved.”

Joyce Barlow is a Democrat running for state House District 151 against incumbent Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert. During a panel discussion put on by political action committee Georgia WIN List, she said the biggest disadvantage is lack of broadband in southern regions of the state. 

“I want everyone to remain safe and not contract COVID-19 so it’s very limited engagement, physically with the public,” she said.

Laura Register a Democratic political advisor, said state members of the party have a large challenge on their hands in rural areas where Republican voices are the loudest.

“It’s really hard now with the coronavirus,” she said. “How do you really make an impact?”

Register said South Georgia has a long history of Republicans in high levels of office making the region a frequent stop.

“When Democrats show up — candidates for these statewide seats — people appreciate it so much,” Register said.

A possible remedy given the travel constraints of the pandemic, she said, is to address issues that rural voters face and offer policy changes that could be made through more targeted campaign efforts.

“There’s really a big divide in the realities down here, or even in North Georgia, realities are really different than those in metro areas,” she said. “When candidates embrace the diversity and speak to those issues — even if they can’t get down here — it makes a big difference.”

U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock have stuck to virtual events since the beginning of the pandemic. However, Warnock’s campaign recently announced a tour of South Georgia as the first in-person events of his bid.

Echoing high-ranking members of the Democratic party, Warner said the stakes in November could not be higher.

“I think everyone is aware that 2020 is unique,” he said. “There are so many opportunities in Georgia — especially with two U.S. Senate seats — that this is the time if we’re ever going to show that Georgia is that blue state in disguise, this is the year to do it.”