Middle Georgia residents share importance of voting

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Middle Georgia voters hurried to cast their ballots for candidates for local, state, and federal officials.

Eighty-seven-year-old Dorothy Dunn has been voting since the 1950s.

“[I voted in] the first election of Dwight Eisenhower,” said Dorothy Dunn.

Dunn says she votes because it’s the essence of living within a democracy.

“If you don’t take advantage of voting, you might as well live in a chain-gang,” said Dunn.

Twenty-year-old Antonio Banks says this is his first time voting. He says he failed to vote at 18 but embraces voting now.

“We need to make a difference — we as black people. I feel like we are not represented as we should be,” said Banks.

Antonio’s mother, Althea Banks says she votes because she would like to see things change on a local level.

“Maybe some of the people that are in charge, maybe if we can get a different set of people up there some things can change in the community, it seems it [has] been the same for so long,” said Banks.

Dunn says she agrees but on the national front. The 87-year-old says the country has who it needs.

“I think what we have now is about as good as we’ve had in 20 years,” said Dunn.