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Registering to Vote
Voter Qualifications
To register to vote in the state of
Georgia, you must be:
- A citizen of the United States
- A legal resident of Georgia and of
the county in which you wish to vote
- At least 18 years of age by election
day
Also, you may not register to vote if you
are currently:
- Serving any sentence imposed by the
conviction of a felony
- Judicially determined to be mentally
incompetent
In the state of Georgia, you do not have
to register by political party to vote in the state's regular primaries
or general elections.
You may register to vote at
any time, but you must be registered by the close of registration prior
to an election if you wish to vote on election day, i.e., the
application must be postmarked by the
voter registration deadline.
If you are not registered to vote,
register today.
If you are registering for
the first time in Georgia, and you register by mail, you are
required to show one of the acceptable types of identification by:
Voter Registration
Georgia citizens have access to several
convenient methods of registering to vote:
- Download and complete a
voter registration application.
- Contact your local
county board of registrars' office or election office, public
library, public assistance office, recruitment office, schools and
other government offices for a mail-in registration form.
-
E-mail your
request for a voter registration form to us, or write us at
Office of the Secretary of State, Elections Division, Suite 802
Floyd West Tower, 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Georgia
30334-1505. Please include your name and mailing address.
- Registration is offered when you
renew or apply for your driver's license at Department of Motor
Vehicle Safety drivers license posts.
- College students can obtain Georgia
voter registration forms, or the necessary forms to register in any
state in the U.S., from their school registrar's office or from the
office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Change of Residence
Voters are required to notify the board
of registrars of their county of residence whenever they move.
If you move within the same county
in which you are registered to vote and don't notify the registrar at
least 30 days prior to an election, you may vote in your old polling
place for that election. You must file a notice of your new address.
This can be done by writing your
county board of registrars' office, or by submitting a new
voter registration application.
If you move outside the county in
which you are registered to vote within 30 days of an election,
you may vote in your old precinct for that election.
If you move outside the county in
which you are registered to vote in excess of 30 days prior to an
election, you have lost your eligibility to vote in the county of
your old residence. You must register to vote in your new county of
residence. If you don't register to vote by the deadline, you cannot
vote in that particular election.
Precinct Cards
If you have misplaced or have not
received your precinct card within two to three weeks of submitting your
application, please contact your
county board of registrars' office to request a new precinct card or
to check the status of your application.
Voting Procedures
Who, What, When, Where,
Why, and How...
Who will get my vote?
Each
fall, Georgians vote on a variety of different elected positions:
|
2006 |
13
U.S. Representative seats, Governor, Lieutenant Governor,
Secretary of State, Attorney General, State School
Superintendent,
Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Agriculture,
Commissioner of Labor |
After the close of qualifying for each election, you may reference
the official
candidate qualifying database to see who is running for each elected
office. Please access our
poll locator
to determine your respective congressional and legislative districts.
Also, sample ballots are available through your
county or municipal election superintendent's office prior to the
election.
What is a registrar, primary, poll, etc.?
Please reference the
Georgia Election Code for details regarding the electoral process in
our state.
When do I vote?
Polls are open from 7:00
a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on each
election day. However, any voter who is waiting in line to vote at
7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
Peak voting hours are historically from 7:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., 4:30
p.m. until 7:00 pm, and during the mid-day lunch hour.
Where do I vote?
Each voter must vote at the polling place
designated for the precinct in which the voter lives - the location of
your polling place is located on your precinct card. If you have
misplaced your card or do not know where your precinct is located,
please use our
poll locator.
Why should I vote?
Your vote
is your voice in the governance of your city, county, state and country.
As a citizen, you declare your rights and privileges with your vote.
Contrary to popular belief, one vote - your vote - does make a
difference.
How do I vote?
As there are approximately 8,000 ballot styles within the state of
Georgia due to various district lines,
sample ballots are available through your
county or municipal election superintendent's office at your polling
place on election day or prior to an election upon request. Voters are
authorized to carry a sample ballot or list of selected candidates with
them to the polls to aid them in voting their ballot. You may not share
the sample ballot or candidate list with other voters at the polls, but
you may use it for your benefit.
Absentee Voting
A voter who
requests an absentee ballot by mail is not required to
provide a reason why he or she is voting absentee.
You may vote by
absentee ballot in person if:
-
You will be absent
from your precinct from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on election day.
-
You are 75 years
of age or older.
-
You have a
physical disability which prevents you from voting in person or you
are a constant caregiver of a person with a disability.
-
You are an
election official.
-
You are observing
a religious holiday which prevents you from voting in person.
-
You are required
to remain on duty in your precinct for the protection of life,
health, or safety of the public.
-
An elector may
cast an absentee ballot in person at the registrar's office during
the period of Monday through Friday of the week immediately
preceding the date of the election without having to provide a
reason.
How do I apply for an absentee ballot?
You may request an
absentee ballot as early as 180 days before an election. Absentee
ballots must be received by the
county board of registrars' office by 7:00 p.m. on election day. No
absentee ballots are issued on the day before or the day of an election.
You may download an
application for official absentee/advance ballot and mail it or fax
it to your
county board of registrars' office. The application must be in
writing and contain the address to which the ballot is to be mailed,
sufficient information to identify you as a voter, and the election in
which you wish to vote - no reason is required when requesting an
absentee ballot by mail. If you are physically disabled or
living temporarily outside your county of residence, a close relative
may apply for an absentee ballot for you.
Applications for absentee ballots
by uniformed or overseas voters (pursuant to the
Uniformed and Overseas
Citizens Absentee Voting Act)
can be accepted more than 180 days prior to a primary or election in
which a federal candidate appears on the ballot as well as
for any runoffs resulting therefrom including presidential
preference primaries for two general elections.
May I receive assistance with my absentee ballot?
A physically
disabled or illiterate voter may receive assistance from another voter
in the same county or municipality or from the same category of
relatives who can make an application for or deliver an absentee ballot.
If the voter is outside of the county or municipality, then a notary
public can provide such assistance. Any person who assists another
person to vote absentee must complete an oath prescribed by law
demonstrating the statutory disability and that the ballot was completed
as the voter desired. Other than federal elections, no person may assist
more than ten voters in a primary, election, or runoff. A candidate on
the ballot, or a relative of a candidate on the ballot, may not offer
assistance during the election to any voter who is not related to the
candidate.
Information Regarding Advance Voting
Voting on Election Day
When you arrive at your polling place, you will complete a voter's
certificate which asks for your name and residence address. You will
then present the certificate and proper identification to the poll
officials who will verify that you are a registered voter in that
precinct by checking the voters list for that precinct. Voters are
required to present identification at their polling place prior to
casting their ballot. Proper identification shall consist of any one of
the following:
(1) A Georgia driver's license which was properly issued by the
appropriate state agency;
(2) A valid voter identification card or other valid identification
card issued by a branch, department, agency, or entity of the State of
Georgia, any other state, or the United States authorized by law to
issue personal identification containing a photograph;
(3) A valid United States passport;
(4) A valid employee identification card containing a photograph of
the elector and issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of
the United States government, this state, or any county, municipality,
board, authority, or other entity of this state;
(5) A valid United States military identification card containing a
photograph of the elector;
(6) a valid tribal identification card containing a photograph of the
elector
A first time registrant by mail may also provide one of the following
additional forms of identification: a copy of a current utility bill,
bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document
that shows the name and address of the elector.
If the elector is a first time registrant by mail who did not provide
one of the acceptable forms of ID at the time of registration this voter
must show proper identification. If the elector is unable to show
identification at the time of voting they may vote a provisional ballot
which will be counted only if the voter presents identification within
the 2 day period following the election.
If your name is found on the voter list, you will be issued a voter
access card and admitted into a voting booth to cast your vote using an
electronic touch screen voting
unit <http://www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/electronic_voting/default.htm>.
After you cast your ballot the machine will automatically eject the
voter access card and you will return the card to a poll official.
Instructions on how to operate the electronic touch screen voting unit
are posted at each polling place and you may ask a poll official for
assistance.
Additional Notes:
Georgia law requires employers to grant their workers up to two
hours to vote on the day of an election. However, the employer is
authorized to specify the hours which an employee may use. This
provision does not apply to employees whose hours of work begin at
least two hours after the polls open or end at least two hours
before the polls close. There is no obligation for an employer to
pay the employee for the time taken to vote.
A voter may receive assistance at the polls if they are unable
to read the English language or if he or she has a physical
disability that renders them unable to see or mark the ballot,
operate the voting equipment, or enter the voting booth. In order to
do so, everyone, except those that are blind, must take an oath
showing the reason they need assistance. The person providing the
assistance to the voter must sign on the oath. When there is a
federal candidate on the ballot, the voter can select anyone they
want to assist them in voting, except for the voter's employer, an
agent of that employer, or an officer or agent of the voter's union.
When there is no federal candidate on the ballot, the voter can
select any other resident of the precinct or a parent, sibling,
spouse or child (provided they are not a candidate on the ballot or
a relative of a candidate on the ballot) to assist them inside the
voting booth. No person may assist more than ten voters in a
primary, election, or runoff. Note: Between the hours of 9:30 a.m.
and 4:30 p.m. on the day of an election, voters who are 75 years of
age or older or who are physically disabled may, upon request to a
poll officer, vote immediately without waiting in line.
Children under the age of 18 may accompany a parent into the
voting booth. However, they may not be disruptive or interfere with
the voting process, vote the ballot or operate any function of a
vote recorder or voting machine.
No person may campaign; distribute literature of written or
printed matter of any kind; wear campaign buttons, signs, pins,
stickers, T-shirts, etc.; circulate petitions; or perform similar
activities within 150 feet of the building in which a polling place
is located.
For more information contact:
Secretary of State
Elections Division
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SE
Suite 802 Floyd West Tower
Atlanta, Ga. 30334
(404) 656-2871
404-656-1787 (TDD for the hearing or speech impaired)
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