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Board of Elections

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1. How do I register to vote and what are the qualifications?

• Download, complete, and mail a voter registration application
• Contact the Board of Elections office, public library, public assistance office, recruitment office, schools and other government offices for a mail-in registration form.
• Registration is offered when you renew or apply for your driver's license at Department of Driver's Services driver’s 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.
• Qualifications are:
o You must be a US Citizen and a resident of Georgia and the county.
o Must be at least 17 1/2 to register and 18 years of age to vote.
o Not serving a sentence for a felony involving moral turpitude.
o Not have been judicially declared mentally incompetent.
Once your application is received and approved you will received a voter precinct card. You may confirm your voter registration status through the Secretary of State's poll locator. If you have submitted a voter registration application within the prior three to four weeks and your name does not appear, please contact the Board of Elections Office or access Secretary of State's MVP to check the status of your application.

2. I am registered to vote but unsure of where my polling place is located. Where can I find this information?

The location of your polling place is listed on your precinct card. If you do not have one, or have misplaced your card and do not know where your polling place is located, you may contact Board of Elections Officethe for that information. You can also call the Secretary of State at 1-888-265-1115 or visit the Secretary of State’s Secretary of State's MVP Web site.

3. How do I get an absentee ballot through the mail?

Absentee ballots are available through the mail for federal and state elections up to 45 days prior to the date of the election, for municipal elections up to 21 days prior to the date of the election, and for special elections, as soon as possible prior to date of the election.

You may apply for the mail out absentee ballot by coming into the Board of Elections Office, by mail, by fax, or by, email. The application may be submitted 180 days prior to all federal and state elections. The application for an absentee ballot may be downloaded and printed.

4. Are sample ballots available prior to the election?

Yes. Sample ballots are available through the Board of Elections office. 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. Sample ballots for current elections are located here.

5. Am I required to show identification when I vote?

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 valid Georgia driver's license, even if expired;
(2) Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID;
(3) 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;
(4) Valid U.S. passport ID;
(5) Valid U.S. military photo ID;
(6) Valid tribal photo ID;
NOTE: The "precinct card" you receive to confirm your voter registration and voting location is NOT a form of identification, and it will not be sufficient identification to vote.

A FREE Voter ID Card can be issued by the Board of Elections office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services. More information on Georgia's Voter Identification Requirements and obtaining a free Voter Identification Card is available from the Georgia Secretary of State's Website

6. I've recently moved. Am I still eligible to vote at my old precinct?

Voters are required to notify the board of elections of their county of residence whenever they move. If you move within the county in which you are registered to vote and did not notify the registrar at least 30 days prior to the election, you may vote in your old polling place for this election. You must complete a change of address card at the polling place.

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 and any ensuing runoff only. If you move outside the county in which you are registered to vote more than 30 days prior to an election, you have lost your eligibility to vote in elections in the county of your old residence. You must register to vote in your new county of residence, and if you did not register to vote in the new county by the deadline, you cannot vote in that particular election.

7. I recently moved. How do I change my address?

If you need to file a change of address you can complete the back of your precinct card and mail it to the Board of Elections Office. If you no longer have your precinct card, you may submit your change in writing stating the old and new address and you must sign the request. If the request is done within 30 days of an Election, the change may not take effect until after the Election.

8. How do I get a Precinct Card?

You can call the office and a card can be mailed to you within two weeks or you can come into the Board of Elections Office and get a certified copy of your voter registration record. If you need the card for international travel please note that effective 1/26/96, pursuant to Public Law 104-99, any document that evidences voter registration cannot be used to prove United States citizenship.

9. What information is needed on the absentee ballot request?

The applicant must include their name, the date of the election, their address, their date of birth, their party preference if a primary and their signature. When voting by mail, no reason is required. The application may be downloaded and printed. You may contact the Board of Elections Office for more information.

10. Do I have to provide a reason for casting an absentee ballot?

No. Georgia law allows voters to vote absentee ballots in person during Advance Voting and absentee ballots through the mail without having to provide a reason for doing so.

11. Will Advance Voting be available for all elections?

Yes. Advance Voting will be available in the Board of Elections Office beginning 21 days prior to all federal and state elections and also on the second Saturday prior to all federal and state elections. For municipal elections, Advance Voting will begin 21 days prior to the date of the election nd for special elections, Advance Voting will be available as soon as possible prior to the date of the special election. Saturday voting will not generally be available for municipal and special elections.

In busy elections, during the last week of Advance Voting the Board of Elections may choose to open additional sites for Advance Voting and has developed a policy pertaining to establishing any additional sites. You may contact the Board of Elections Office for additional information.

12. What happens if I do not have any identification with me at the polling place?

If a voter is unable to produce any of the required forms of identification, the voter shall be allowed to vote a Provisional Ballot. The voter is allowed 72 hours to provide proper ID in order to have their ballot counted. If they fail to provide proper ID their provisional ballot will not be counted.

13. How do I get a free Georgia Voter Identification Card?

A FREE Voter ID Card can be issued by the Board of Elections office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services. More information on Georgia’s Voter Identification Requirements and obtaining a free Voter Identification Card is available from the Georgia Secretary of State's Website

To obtain a free photo Voter Identification Card, the applicant must be registered to vote in Georgia and must sign an affidavit that states that they do not have a Georgia Driver’s License or State issued Identification Card.

14. What time will the polls open and close on Election Day?

Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m. on each Election Day. However, any voter who is waiting to vote at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

15. When is the best time to go to the polls to avoid having to wait in long lines?

Peak voting hours appear to be from 7 a.m. till 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. till 7:00 pm, and during the mid-day lunch hour.

16. Are special considerations made for elderly and disabled voters who are physically unable to stand in line at the polls?

Yes. 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 at the next available booth without waiting in line.

17. Is my employer required to grant me time off to vote?

Yes. Georgia law requires employers to grant their workers up to two hours to vote on Election Day. However, the employer is authorized to specify the hours which an employee may use. This provision for time off to vote 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 off to vote

18. Can I take my child to the polls with me?

Yes. Children under the age of 18 may accompany a parent into the voting booth. However, the children may not be disruptive or interfere with the voting process, vote the ballot or operate any function of the voting machine.

19. Can I wear a campaign button into the polling place?

No person may campaign; distribute literature or 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.

20. As a first time voter I'm not sure of how to operate a voting machine. Will there be someone at the polling place to answer any questions I might have?

Yes. Poll officers of the precinct will be available to answer any questions that voters may have concerning voting their ballot or operating the voting equipment.

21. What is the difference between a special election, a primary election, and a general election?

A 'special election' means an election that arises from some emergency or special need outside the usual routine. This could include a vacancy in a public office or the holding of a county referendum. An example of a referendum would be the holding of a special local option sales tax question in the county.

A 'primary' means any election held for the purpose of electing party officers or nominating candidates for public offices to be voted upon at a general election. In Georgia, political parties are defined as any political organization that at the preceding Gubernatorial election nominated a candidate for Governor and whose candidate for Governor at such election pulled at least 20 percent of the total votes cast in the state for Governor or in a Presidential election nominated a candidate for President of the United States and whose candidates for presidential electors at such election pulled at least 20 percent of the total votes cast in the nation for that office. At the present time, recognized political parties in Georgia include the Democratic and Republican parties.

A 'general election' is held at intervals fixed by law. In Georgia, the general election is held the Tuesday after the first Monday of November in each even-numbered year. Most terms of office are for four years. Exceptions to this include six-year terms for United States Senators and two-year terms for Georgia General Assembly members and United States Representatives. The general election will include the candidates nominated at the political party primaries, political body candidates nominated by petition or state convention, independent candidates through the petition process, and write-in candidates.

22. I'm curious about the results of previous Georgia elections. Where can I find more information?

The Georgia Secretary of State's website features results of statewide and federal elections from 1988 to 2011. You can also follow election night results for Augusta as they come in Election Night by accessing the Board of Elections website.

23. I’d like to know more about qualifying for office.

You may find information on qualifying for office in the Secretary of State's handbook on Qualifications and Disqualifications for Holding Elective Office in Georgia.

24. What is a provisional ballot?

A provisional ballot is a paper ballot used by a voter whose eligibility to vote is in question and cannot be determined on Election Day.

25. How are provisional ballots counted?

Beginning the day following the election, the registrar investigates each and every provisional ballot in an attempt to help prove the voter’s eligibility. If the registrar can find proof that the voter is eligible to vote then the voter’s ballot is counted, if not the voter’s ballot is rejected.

26. How will I know if my provisional ballot was accepted or rejected?

The registrar will notify each provisional voter to tell the voter if their ballot was counted or not, and if not, why it was not counted.

27. If I show up at the wrong polling place on Election Day can I vote a provisional ballot there, or do I have to go to my own polling place to vote on Election Day?

On Election Day, you are required to go to your assigned polling place in order to vote, except that if you show up at the wrong polling place and in the reasonable exercise of discretion the registrar determines that there is not enough time for you to make it to your correct polling place by 7:00 PM, you may be allowed to vote a provisional ballot at the polling place in which you are present. In this case, only the votes cast for candidates for whom you would have been eligible to vote were you in your proper polling location shall be counted.