How young Republicans and Democrats are whipping up votes in key districts

In a bustling restaurant in northwest Atlanta, roughly a dozen young Republicans are surrounded by pitchers, chips and salsa, chatting and laughing as they fill out postcards.

"Anybody need a drink?" calls Winslow Jones, the president of Atlanta Young Republicans.

The group has met for what they’re calling Margaritas and Mailers, and today they are handwriting postcards asking for support for two down-ballot GOP candidates running in nearby districts.

“Margaritas help,” Jones laughs. “This is an environment where people can come and connect with likeminded people.”

As election day nears, all eyes are once again on Georgia and its 16 electoral votes. And this time, one essential voting bloc is getting a lot of attention: millennials and Gen Z.

Voters under 44 years old will make up about half the eligible voting population in the U.S. this fall, according to population projections from the U.S. Census Bureau. NPR traveled to Atlanta to see how different groups of young organizers are approaching this moment.

Supporting a third Trump run

At the Young Republican meet-up, Jones points to the intellectual diversity among its members, including the varying opinions on former President Donald Trump.

“I think across the board there can be mixed feelings about Trump,” she says. “But I think what we're all united on is this is a much bigger picture here that we need to look at … issues that are affecting people at large.”

Jones says the issues resonating with younger conservatives like herself include the economy, the U.S.-Mexico border and crime.

Nearby, Jacquelyn Harn is also busy writing postcards. She’s the chairwoman of the statewide group, Young Republicans of Georgia.

“We're excited for a change,” Harn says when asked about