South Georgia voters will head to the polls on November 3 to elect U.S. House members for the region's 8th and 2nd Congressional Districts. These House members are responsible for representing their districts in Washington, D.C., where they vote on federal laws and the federal budget. Each representative serves a two-year term.

The 8th Congressional District covers parts of middle and South Georgia, including Coffee, Tift, and Colquitt counties. The race for this district features incumbent Austin Scott and challenger Kelly Esti.

Austin Scott, an Augusta native, has served as the incumbent since 2011. He holds a B.B.A. in risk management and insurance from the University of Georgia, earned in 1993, and owned an insurance brokerage for nearly two decades, according to information from Ballotpedia and CNN. Before his time in Congress, Scott served in the Georgia House from 1997 to 2010. Currently, he sits on key House committees, including Agriculture, Armed Services, Intelligence, and Rules, as detailed in his official House biography. Scott is seeking re-election as a committed conservative, aiming to represent Georgia values and free-market principles, according to his official House website.

Challenger Kelly Esti grew up in rural Mississippi and graduated high school as salutatorian in 1999. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1999 to 2002 as a nuclear-trained sailor. Esti's educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from Ottawa University, an MBA in finance from Webster University, and a Ph.D. in public policy from Walden University, according to Ballotpedia and his LinkedIn profile. His professional experience includes working as an operations analyst for Delta Air Lines and serving as CFO and co-owner of a small business. Esti's campaign focuses on bringing policy experience back to rural areas that he says are often left behind, and he aims to be more visible and accessible than the incumbent, according to WALB.

In the 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses southwest Georgia, including Lee and Dougherty counties, voters will choose between incumbent Sanford Bishop and Matt Day.

Sanford Bishop, originally from Mobile, Alabama, born in 1947, has been the incumbent for the 2nd District since 1993 and lives in Albany. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College and a law degree from Emory University, subsequently working as a lawyer. Before his congressional service, Bishop served in both the Georgia House and Senate. He currently serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, according to Ballotpedia and his official House page. Bishop is seeking re-election with the stated goal of continuing to serve southwest Georgia communities, military families, and rural needs, as reported by his campaign website and WALB coverage.

Matt Day was born and raised in a blue-collar Christian family in southeast Georgia, where his parents operated a small glass business and a cattle farm. He attended South Georgia College and East Central Tech. At the age of 20, Day took over the family farm and business following his father's death and his mother's cancer diagnosis, according to his campaign website. In 2013, he founded Glaziers on Demand, expanding it into construction trades and manufacturing staffing. Day's campaign focuses on making life more affordable for Georgians impacted by a divided Washington and on holding Congress accountable through common sense and service, according to his campaign website and WALB.

Further information on early voting and sample ballots is available through Georgia’s My Voter Page.