Georgia/Voting

Georgia How to Vote

Registration:

To register to vote you must:

• A citizen of the United States.
• A legal resident of Georgia and of the county in which you wish to vote.
• At least 17 1/2 years of age to register and 18 to vote.

You may NOT register to vote if you:

• Are currently serving a sentence for a felony.
• Have been ruled mentally incompetent by a court.

To register online you must have a valid Driver’s License or an ID card issue by the state of Georgia.

ID Requirements

• Any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID, including a free ID card issued by your county registrar's office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services.
• A Georgia driver's license, even if expired
• Student ID from a Georgia public College or University
• Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state
• Valid U.S. passport ID
• Valid U.S. military photo ID containing a photograph of the voter
• Valid tribal photo ID containing a photograph of the voter

Ways to Vote in Georgia

Election Day: You can vote in Georgia on Election day from 7am-7pm. If you are in line before 7pm and have not yet voted please stay in line. Make sure you go to you assign polling place.

Early Voting: You have three weeks before election day to vote early in person including two Saturdays and at times a Sunday. Runoffs have a shorter period for early voting period.

You can vote at any location in your county during early voting.

Absentee Voting: To do absentee voting in the state of Georgia the following is required:

• Completed absentee ballot application (link here)
• Address
• Date of Birth
• County where you are registered
• Number of your driver’s license or free state ID OR last four digits of social security OR upload a photo of current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or any government form.

Mail-in ballots can be requested no earlier than 78 days prior to the election and no later than the 11th day before the election. The voted ballot must be received by your county registrar no later than close of the polls on Election Day (Hospital patients do get an extra day)

Receiving Your Absentee Ballot Absentee and Non-UOCAVA ballots will be mailed:

• Presidential Preference Primary 29 days prior to the election through the Friday before Election Day
• General Primary 29 days prior to the election through the Friday before Election Day General Election 29 days prior to the election through the Friday before Election Day
• Special Election - Federal office 29 days prior to the election through the Friday before Election Day
• Municipal General Primary 21 days prior to the election through the Friday before Election Day
• Municipal General Election 21 days prior to the election through the Friday before Election Day
• Special Election - Other 21 days prior to the election through the Friday before Election Day
• Runoffs As soon as possible

Follow the instructions that your county elections official provides with your ballot. You will receive all the forms and envelopes necessary for marking and returning of the ballot. Ballots for UOCAVA voters will be sent between 49 and 45 days before federal elections. There are special provisions for Georgia Military and Overseas Voters that can be found at: fvap.gov/georgia Failure to complete your ballot correctly could cause your ballot not to be counted. If you registered to vote by mail or online and did not submit a copy of one of the required forms of identification at that time, you will receive notification with your ballot package. Copies of any IDs must be placed in the outer envelope. If you do not have a driver’s license or state identification card and had to supply other documents to verify your identity when you applied for an absentee ballot, then you must provide the last four digits of your Social Security number in the appropriate place on the outer envelope of your absentee ballot package. If you have any questions, please contact your county registrar.

Submitting a Voted Absentee Ballot:

A ballot must be received by the county registrar no later than the close of polls on Election Day. Delivery can be either U.S. first class mail or hand delivered by the voter. If mailing, you must affix postage to the ballot envelope. Ballots received after the polls close cannot be counted. All counties must have at least one drop box location. For more information about drop boxes, please contact your registrar.

Processing Your Voted Absentee Ballot:

Once the absentee ballot is received by the county office, the registrar will compare the number or your driver’s license or state identification card to the voter registration records to verify your identity. If you do not have either of these photo IDs, then the registrar will examine the copies of the other documents you were required to submit with your application. If the number is missing, does not match what is on record or your other documentation is not sufficient for any reason, your county will contact you and provide a document whereby you can provide the necessary ID to verify your ballot.