Cobb County voters question candidates face to face ahead of midterm elections

Cobb County voters had the opportunity to question candidates face to face Tuesday night ahead of the midterm elections. Marietta voter Laurie Williamson-Holliday arrived with a list of questions.

"It was nice to have the opportunity to actually meet them before going into that, before voting," Williamson-Holliday said. "Seeing somebody and talking to them is a little different from seeing their name on a piece of paper."

The League of Women Voters of Georgia and the League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb County hosted the 2026 Nonpartisan Candidate Meet & Greet at Turner Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church on North Marietta Parkway.

According to the League of Women Voters of Georgia, the free public event featured candidates in statewide and Cobb County races. The forum came five weeks before the Nov. 3 general election.

Williamson-Holliday, who is originally from New York and now lives in Marietta with her husband, said she attended to learn everything she could about the candidates.

"I'm really concerned about a nonpartisan ballot being given to us when we come in, because I think people need to know who they're voting for, what their party affiliation is, all of that stuff," Williamson-Holliday said.

"I think voters need to be informed," she said. "I don't think they should be discouraged from going in and finding out everything there is to find out."

The evening began upstairs, where each candidate took a turn at the microphone to introduce themselves. Williamson-Holliday said she valued learning about their personal backgrounds and faith.

"I thought it was wonderful because you could get more information about their personal backgrounds and, you know, how it relates to what they're doing, dealing with the community," she said.

The crowd then moved downstairs, where candidates stood at booths while voters went from one to the next asking questions.

Williamson-Holliday said she asked about issues close to home, including road safety, weather preparedness, prices and health care, which she said matters more to her now that she is a senior.

"I've almost been run off the road myself," she said.

Williamson-Holliday said she often struggles to find reliable information about candidates online and is sometimes directed to unrelated websites. She left the forum with contact information she can use if she has additional questions.

"I just want to get as much information about candidates that I can," she said. "So, this finally gave me the opportunity to do that."

Williamson-Holliday said organizers encouraged attendees to bring other voters to the polls. She said she is already doing that, with a particular focus on young people.

People with questions about future candidate forums and town halls can contact Kimberly Scott, the League of Women Voters of Georgia's director of candidate forums and town halls, at forums@lwvga.com or 678-913-4664.