Georgia Endorsement: Donya Sartor will be Jonesboro’s First Black Mayor

JONESBORO, GEORGIA – CASA in Action is thrilled to announce its endorsement of Donya Sartor, PhD, for Mayor of Jonesboro. With her progressive, people-first policies, Dr. Sartor will protect immigrants and working families in Clayton County. The three-week program launches on February 27, the first day of early voting, and finishes on Election Day, March 21, 2023. With a canvassing and mailer treatment, the layered program seeks to increase voter turnout by 20 percent, focusing on infrequent Black and/or Latine voters.

“This Jonesboro election marks a turning point in the city’s history because voters can elect the first Black mayor of this predominantly Black and brown municipality,” said Luis Zaldivar, CASA in Action’s Georgia Director. “Black and brown voters will get behind Dr. Sartor’s fight for affordable housing, police accountability, and drivers licenses for all. Passionate, unrelenting, and trusted, Dr. Donya Sartor is Jonesboro’s next mayor.”

With in-person conversations at doors, the canvassing team offers voters persuasion messaging and candidate information to earn their full support. Voters have several opportunities to speak with canvassers and also receive a piece of printed literature with persuasion messaging with information to make their voting plan.

“Voter suppression has been one of the most pressing issues for communities of color in Georgia. Having those face-to-face conversations establishes a stronger relationship with voters of color,” said Michelle Sanchez, CASA in Action’s Georgia elections manager. “Once Election Day is over, the accountability part of the campaign kicks in: electoral programs like this one reinvigorate Black and brown voters and work with elected officials to make their promises a reality.”

Georgia has seen several efforts to disenfranchise voters in our communities, from implementation of an “exact match” policy to ease purging of voter rolls, delaying voter registration forms, polling location closures, and opposition to automatic voter registration policies. In line with Georgia’s voter suppression tactics, Joneboro’s municipal races will be held on the same day as the county wide races, to be held in a different location that also houses the sheriff’s office.

“In previous municipal election cycles in Jonesboro, turnout has been dismal with less than 11% of the population turning out to vote,” closed Luis Zaldivar. “We’re out on doors to change that.”