I recently sat down with one of the two founding members of the Georgia Troublemakers, Damon Sgrignoli, to hear a little bit about the good trouble and change that they are making in Atlanta, Georgia this election year.
The impetus of the Georgia Troublemaker’s stemmed from the voting chaos of the June 9th, 2020 primary elections in Georgia. Deep in the middle of the pandemic, it was a blistering hot day for voters lining up in masks. Short staffing, voting machine equipment problems and state-wide failures to properly deliver absentee ballots in a timely manner led to long lines and confusion across the state — a huge warning for what is to come in November’s general election.
Damon Sgrignoli woke up the morning of the primary to a text from a friend waiting in line that said “this is bad.” Damon immediately went to the local grocery store and filled his car with cold water and snacks to hand out throughout the metro Atlanta polling locations. His hope was to make sure all those standing in line had some encouragement to tough it out. “Georgia is known for not making it easy for their citizens to vote, and this year was particularly bad.” Damon shared stories from the polls on his personal Instagram that seemed to resonate with his followers. The polls closed at 7 PM, but the last vote was cast just after midnight. Damon advised, “a lot of people don’t know this, but if you stick it out in line your vote will be counted.” After all the ballots were counted in June more Democrats voted than Republicans and that really woke up the nation that we can flip Georgia blue this year and change the senate and the presidential race”
The second spark for the Georgia Troublemakers was after a text from now, co-founder, Jamie Allen the night the honorable John Lewis died. “John Lewis was a treasure to all of us in Atlanta. He gave so much to our nation and served our 5th district in congress for so long that we felt like we got to know a superhero.”
Lewis’ words of encouragement that sometimes making good trouble is necessary was a statement that resonated with them. “We want to make him proud by poking around and being a part of Georgia’s change.” “We’re just trying to do right by him causing a little bit of trouble.” Next, a backyard meeting with beers was planned to get the ball rolling. With that, Good Trouble night was born!
“We all began exchanging ideas, everyone brought something new to the table.”
The weekly meetings soon turned to weekly zoom calls and the Troublemakers group grew.
There is currently a weekly newsletter going out to over a thousand people, on Wednesday nights they volunteer and text bank at a rate of around 30,000 people per evening, others members register voters or place stickers with QR codes around the city that link about to voting information. The Troublemakers recently produced a few videos to show voters how to make sure their votes get counted and have upcoming plans to make sure people working and voting on election day get fed some special surprise treats from one of the Troublemaker’s snack companies. Troublemakers are getting trained to work the polls themselves and on 10/24 (the national Saturday of early voting and on the 3rd) Look for the Troublemakers passing out pins and stickers and just making sure everyone feels supported as they cast their ballot in this important upcoming election.
“Our core intent is that everyone exercises their right to vote and we have a free and fair election. Because everyone deserves equal access to voting,” says Damon Sgrignoli.
And while you may not live in Georgia, The Georgia Troublemaker’s are encouraging everyone to make a voting plan.
Here’s where to find the Troublemaker’s and get into some good trouble:
On their website gatroublemaker.com you can choose from Plan A, B or C.
- PLAN A Apply for Your Absentee Ballot by this week, then Hand-Deliver & Track Your Vote
- PLAN B Vote Early In-Person Starting Oct. 12 at Designated Polling Locations
- PLAN C Prepare to Stick it Out on Election Day Polls Open at 7 a.m. on Nov. 3
We at Storytelling for Change commend all the hard work that the Georgia Troublemakers are putting in to make sure positive change happens in Georgia and beyond.
Please keep all that good trouble coming!
Join the Georgia Troublemakers here: https://www.gatroublemakers.com/
Follow the Georgia Troublemakers on Instagram: @gatroublemakers
Georgia Troublemakers educate, advocate, and agitate for progressive change by fighting voter suppression, acting up in defense of democracy, and empowering Georgians to vote for the benefit of all.
