A town hall hosted by Middle Georgia 4 Choice and Macon Rising provided community members the opportunity to engage with House District 142 Rep. Miriam Paris, a Democrat.

Wednesday night's event, held in Macon at the Museum of Arts and Sciences, focused on upholding the right to choose and maintaining democracy. Macon resident El Copeland described the tone as "really somber," expressing disappointment over legislative hold-ups at both state and federal levels.

"With republicans in control, they're just running amuck," said one man.

Attendees questioned Paris on topics ranging from reproductive rights to the government shutdown and legislative processes.

"I think that in this capacity, In Middle Georgia 4 Choice, we're going to push for reproductive justice, and center our, 'Fake Clinics Suck,' campaign, and build community of birth workers, and moms, who can talk about the maternal outcomes that are happening here," said Julia Callahan with Middle Georgia 4 Choice, a reproductive rights group.

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Paris voiced concerns about school vouchers leading to privatized education and noted that her colleagues often align with leadership over constituents.

Sheila Kenne of Macon Rising emphasized the importance of such town halls for transparency, stating, "That's the biggest thing to do right now, is get community out, and get them their questions answered by our elected officials."

Paris urged the community to vote, saying, "Each of us has a responsibility to talk to other people about getting out and voting." Despite the Republican majority, Paris said she is working to bridge the gap by promoting conversations.

Early voting is currently underway ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4.