Sign in or 
| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 18 2008, 2:18 AM EDT (current) | kegill | 82 words added, 72 words deleted |
| May 15 2008, 4:08 PM EDT | KendraRae4 | 41 words added |
Changes
Key: Additions Deletions
Summary
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.
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 1104 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.
Advance Voting in Georgia
If your hectic schedule ever kept you from getting to the polls on Election Day, Georgia law offers you a great solution - advance voting - designed to meet the needs of today’s busy Georgians. With advance voting you may choose to vote in person before Election Day simply as a matter of convenience. Advance voting allows any registered voter to cast a ballot IN PERSON October 27, 2008 through October 31, 2008, which isthe week prior to an election. At the advance voting office, you must fill out an application and provide one of the permitted forms of identification.You will then be issued a ballot that must be filled out and cast while you are in the office. Please note that you cannot vote on the day immediately preceding the Tuesday election. Traditional polling places will be open on Election Day. However, if you choose to advance vote you cannot cast another ballot at your precinct on Election Day.
Deadlines
Deadline to register to vote in November 2008 election: October 6, 2008Deadline to register for absentee ballot in November 2008 election: November 2, 2008Georgia Election DeadlinesVoting EquipmentAll voting equipment in Geogria is provided by Diebold Election Systems. Georgia officials finalized a $54 million agreement with Diebold Election Systems in May, 2002 to replace the state’s outdated election equipment with more than 19,000 new state-of-the-art touch-screen votingSample stations.Ballots
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.
Deadlines
- Deadline to register to vote in November 2008 election: October 6, 2008
- Deadline to register for absentee ballot in November 2008 election: November 2, 2008
- Georgia Election Deadlines
Voting Equipment
All voting equipment in Geogria is provided by Diebold Election Systems. Georgia officials finalized a $54 million agreement with Diebold Election Systems in May, 2002 to replace the state’s outdated election equipment with more than 19,000 new state-of-the-art touch-screen voting stations.
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 touchscreen voting unit. 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.
More fromVoterGA and Georgians for Verified Voting
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.
- 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.
