When the leading 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls hop on stage in Atlanta for the fifth Democratic debates, the candidates will have no dearth of topics to discuss — but perhaps one of the most important and relevant facing them will concern the right to vote.

Georgia is known to be a deep-red state in the deep-red South, but political fortunes there have slowly threatened to change in recent years as the minority populations have burgeoned to take up an increasingly large piece of the electoral pie.

And, the state made frequent front pages for that tension last year during the 2018 midterms, when Democrat Stacey Abrams came within striking distance of the governor’s mansion but was thwarted by then-Georgia secretary of State Brian Kemp. That election ensured that a Republican has been in control of the governorship for more than 16 years — but was shrouded in accusations of voter suppression against minorities and likely Democratic voters.

The Independent caught up with Myrna Perez, the director of Brennan Centre’s Voting Rights and Election Program at New York University, to discuss the upcoming debate. That interview, below, has been edited and condensed for clarity.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

What are you watching for in the Atlanta debate?

Bread and butter democracy issues. The idea that our right to vote is fundamental. The idea that our elections should be free, fair and accessible. The idea that Americans should be able to trust the outcomes of elections.The idea that people are going to be free from racial discrimination when they step into the ballot box. These are all foundational issues for our country.

We hope that we see candidates expressing an affirmative commitment to those foundational principles.

How does Georgia specifically play into concerns surrounding access to the ballot?

Georgia is significant because it is one of those states that have compounding barriers to the ballot box.

So, let’s start: First there were allegations that groups that were trying to register voters were being targeted and harassed and those registrations weren’t being processed. And then if you were able to get through that hurdle, they had what you would call a ‘no match no vote’ law where, if your information didn’t perfectly match with what some other government database said, your registration wouldn’t go through.

Then if you were able to pass all those hurdles you might have had your name purged from voter rolls. If you were able to go through those hurdles, it was unclear if your polling place would be in the same place it was during past elections. Then if you were able to go through those hurdles you would be required to present an ID that between 8 and 12 per cent of Americans’ don’t have.

If you discovered something else at the polls, then you’d be getting a provisional ballot that wasn’t even a fail-safe as much as it was a placebo. Any one voter might not get hooked up by all of these potential problems, but these are compounding barriers that just shave people out of the electorate. These hassles also frustrate people given the personal and time sacrifices that people are making to go and cast a ballot.

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Have we seen this change political outcomes?

No one has, to my knowledge, been able to quantify exactly how the outcomes have been changed, but I would submit that it’s not about the candidates and who wins. It’s about the voters’ fundamental right to vote.

If someone was shut out of the process, then they have been injured irrespective of the outcome of any particular race..

The vote is the way we resolve peaceably our political differences. It is a way to demonstrate political power. It is a way you send a strong message that you care about your community, and you care about the direction of your country. It’s revealing and powerful even if your vote doesn’t swing a particular election.

I think anytime a legitimate ballot has been lost, our democracy is poorer. A lost ballot is a growth opportunity for our electoral process. We should be in a place where every eligible American is casting a ballot and having it counted.

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How might this impact 2020?

I think it’s going to be an important year because there’s a lot of political excitement, and a lot of energy around the elections.

I think it’s going to be important because there are a lot of races at all levels of government that are going to be on the ballot. I think it’s important because the country is at a moment where there is very public disagreement about the direction of the country. Again the way we resolve things politically is through the ballot.

It matters because there is some frustration and mistrust in our electoral process because Russian cyber criminals were interfering in our elections and politicians at all levels of the government were falsely claiming there had been voter fraud. In this election, we have to show that we are doing better.

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Who do these voting access issues generally impact?

There are politicians who are concerned about the “browning of America” — the changing demographics — and are pushing towards changes that would make it harder for certain Americans to register to vote, and those Americans are often folks who have been traditionally disenfranchised. They include people of colour, they include young people, they include seniors and folks with disabilities.

Georgia was a real hot spot in 2018, it was the Florida of elections this last election cycle, and Georgians deserve better. We need to make sure that when folks go to the ballot box, that they feel confident in the outcome and that political operatives aren’t trying to bend the rules of the game so some people can participate and some can’t.