Elections FAQ
Find information on the most common concerns about who can vote, how to register, where to vote and more.
FAQ Sections
General FAQs
To register to vote 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 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 determined mentally incompetent by a court.
Check your registration on the My Voter Page.
The simplest way is to submit a new registration application. The county registrar will see your existing registration and update the information from the new application. You can also change your address online.
If you are a U.S. citizen, you can provide proof of citizenship at your county registrar’s office or at your polling place when you go to vote.
Proof of citizenship could include a U.S. birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers, but there are other acceptable documents you can show as proof of your citizenship. Click here for a list of acceptable proof of citizenship you can show. If you do not have documentation with you when you go to vote, you can cast a provisional ballot and present documentation to your county elections office within three days after Election Day for your ballot to be counted.
You can register any time. You must be registered at least 30 days before an election to vote in that election. Look at the key dates to ensure you’re registering before the deadline for the election you want to participate in.
The simplest way is to submit a new registration application. The county registrar will see your existing registration and update the information from the new application. You can also change your legal name online.
Convicted felons are not eligible to register and vote in the State of Georgia except upon completion of the sentence, including any probation, parole, or payment of fines owed.
No, you will not be required to reregister if you elect not to vote in a particular election. If, however, your record shows that you are in "Inactive" status, this means that you have not had contact with your county election office within the last five years. Please see the Inactive Status section of the Voter Resources page, under "Quick Voter Links" for more information.
You can verify whether you are a registered voter in Georgia by accessing My Voter Page. Contact your county registrar for further assistance.
Contact your county registration office and advise them you would like to cancel your voter registration in Georgia.
No with exceptions for Vote Safe voters; refer to O.C.G.A § 21-2-225.
Currently the State of Georgia does not offer online voting, but the State of Georgia does offer online registration. See the How-To Guide: Registering to Vote page for more information.
Please visit the VoteSafe page for detailed information on the program and how to apply.
Voting
You do not need to have your voter card with you to vote, just a government-issued photo ID.
Visit the Georgia Voter Identification Requirements page for more information regarding acceptable forms of identification.
Yes. Please see the Early Voting section of the How to Vote page for more information.
You can see all of the qualified candidates, their addresses, occupations, contact information and a link to their websites. And you can see a sample ballot on My Voter Page.
You can see questions, constitutional amendments and local referenda by looking at a sample ballot on My Voter Page.
You can see the early voting locations in your county and your assigned Election Day polling place on My Voter Page.
During early voting, you can vote in any of your county’s early voting sites. If one has a line, find another with a shorter line. On Election Day, vote in your assigned precinct.
If you voted in person, you know your ballot was counted when you inserted it into the ballot scanner. If you voted by absentee ballot, you can check the status on My Voter Page.
Yes. Georgia law is focused on verifying who votes so that only eligible people cast ballots. You will need to present a government-issued photo ID when you vote in person. You can use a valid driver’s license – even one that’s expired – a free state-issued ID, passport, military ID, student ID from a public college or employee ID issued by a local, state or federal government. You will also need identification if you vote by absentee ballot.
Visit the Georgia Voter Identification Requirements page for more information regarding acceptable forms of identification.
No. You can take pictures outside of the polling area. We encourage it and hope you’re proud of your vote. The reason for the prohibition against ballot copies, receipts and photography of ballots – including absentee ballots – is to prevent vote buying. A candidate who promised to pay people for their votes would want proof. If there is no receipt or photo, then the candidate can’t know who you voted for.
It is against the law to campaign within 150 feet of a polling place. That means you cannot have signs on your vehicle in that area and you cannot wear shirts, hats, jackets or other clothing with the name of a candidate, political party or slogan.
Yes. You can have food and drink while waiting in line. Some polling places do not allow food inside to keep from having a mess. Please check with your county election office.
Parents can take their children into the voting booth with them. It is a good way for them to learn about voting and for you to show them it is important.
Any voter who is 75 years of age or older, or who is disabled and requires assistance in voting, may vote immediately at the next available voting compartment or booth without having to wait in line.
(As authorized by Code Section 21-2-409.)
You can ask a poll worker for another ballot to correct a mistake before you cast it.
- If voting in person, simply ask a nearby poll worker.
- If voting absentee, contact your county elections office about cancelling your ballot and getting a new one.
You may vote as many election contests or ballot questions as you wish. All of the votes properly cast will be counted.
Answer: No.
Voters do not register with a political party because Georgia is an open primary state. This means that during a primary election each voter can choose which party’s ballot they wish to vote – Republican, Democrat, or Nonpartisan. If the voter wants, that choice can be different each time they vote in a primary election.
However, if the voter chooses a partisan ballot in a primary election, they will only be offered the same type of ballot in the subsequent runoff. If the voter did not vote in the general primary, the voter may choose any party in the Runoff.
If the voter chooses to vote a nonpartisan ballot, it will not include any of the partisan offices, only referendum questions and nonpartisan offices.
While voters do not register with a political party, their choice of political party ballot in the most recent primary election is publicly available information. This may be reflected in certain voter searches, voter lists, or other publicly accessible voter data.
Absentee Voting
Download the absentee ballot application, complete it and mail or deliver it to your county election office. Or you can scan it or take a photo of it and email that to the election office.
Download the Absentee Voting In Georgia guide>>
Find more information on Absentee Voting in the Absentee Voting section of the How To Guide: Voting page.
To protect against voter fraud, Georgia law only allows close relatives and caregivers to request and return absentee ballots for another person. If you are either a close relative or caregiver, you can download an Absentee Ballot Application and send it to the voter’s county election office.
Your county, which runs the election where you live, can begin sending out absentee ballots to military and overseas voters 45 days before a federal election, 29 days before an election to all other voters or 22 days before municipal or special elections. The U.S. Postal Service recommends allowing 7-10 days for delivery.
Contact your county elections office since they run elections locally. They can issue you a new one or tell you how to cancel that absentee ballot so you can vote in person.
Yes, as long as your absentee ballot has not been received by your local elections office. Once your absentee ballot has been received by your local elections office, it has been cast and cannot be canceled. If you never received the absentee ballot you requested or have but didn’t yet return it, you can cancel it to vote in person. It will save time if you bring the ballot with you when you go to vote.
You can ask a poll worker for another ballot to correct a mistake before you cast it.
- If voting in person, simply ask a nearby poll worker.
- If voting absentee, contact your county elections office about cancelling your ballot and getting a new one.
Contact your county elections office since they run elections locally. They can issue you a new one or tell you how to cancel that absentee ballot so you can vote in person.
Take your absentee ballot with you to the poll and the poll manager or poll worker can cancel that ballot and allow you to vote on the touch screen. You must RETURN your cancelled ballot in order to vote, however.
Any application for an absentee ballot sent to any elector by any person or entity shall utilize form APP-21_V2. Please complete the gray fields at the bottom of pages 1 and 2 to include the name and address of the person, organization, or other entity distributing the application.
This form is provided pursuant to Ga. Code § 21-2-381(a)(1)(C)(ii)(iii)(I)(II)(III)
Download Application for Georgia Official Absentee Ballot form APP-21_V2.
Election Security
You can file a complaint or report suspected voter fraud online. Be sure to include as much detail as possible about when and where for the investigators.
The paper-ballot system protects Georgia against computer hackers and delivers reliable election results which can be audited using paper ballots.
- The machines do not connect to the internet, which limits cybersecurity risks. They also create an auditable paper-ballot, with other enhanced review capabilities for the public.
- Dominion’s product security protocols meet or exceed U.S. Election Assistance Commission Voluntary Voting System Requirements.
- The paper-ballot system uses encryption, multi-factor authentication and role-based access controls.
Yes, most of what goes on in election administration is open to the public. The counties, which run elections, are required to post notice of when and where they are conducting work related to elections, from verifying absentee ballots to testing voting machines and counting votes.
Candidates and political parties can request to have poll watchers present during these procedures. They may observe without disrupting poll workers or voters. They may not see how individuals voted. As you would expect, limited information must be kept confidential due to laws protecting election security and voters’ personal information like email addresses, dates of birth and driver’s license number.
State Election Board
It shall be the duty of the State Election Board:
(1) To promulgate rules and regulations so as to obtain uniformity in the practices and proceedings of superintendents, registrars, deputy registrars, poll officers, and other officials, as well as the legality and purity in all primaries and elections;
(2) To formulate, adopt, and promulgate such rules and regulations, consistent with law, as will be conducive to the fair, legal, and orderly conduct of primaries and elections; and, upon the adoption of each rule and regulation, the board shall promptly file certified copies thereof with the Secretary of State and each superintendent;
(3) To publish and furnish to primary and election officials, from time to time, a sufficient number of indexed copies of all primary and election laws and pertinent rules and regulations then in force;
(4) To publish and distribute such explanatory pamphlets regarding the interpretation and application of primary and election laws as in the opinion of the board should be distributed to the electorate;
(5) To investigate, or authorize the Secretary of State to investigate, when necessary or advisable the administration of primary and election laws and frauds and irregularities in primaries and elections and to report violations of the primary and election laws either to the Attorney General or the appropriate district attorney who shall be responsible for further investigation and prosecution. Nothing in this paragraph shall be so construed as to require any complaining party to request an investigation by the board before such party might proceed to seek any other remedy available to that party under this chapter or any other provision of law;
(6) To make such recommendations to the General Assembly as it may deem advisable relative to the conduct and administration of primaries and elections;
(7) To promulgate rules and regulations to define uniform and nondiscriminatory standards concerning what constitutes a vote and what will be counted as a vote for each category of voting system used in this state;
(8) To employ such assistants as may be necessary;
(9) Subject to funds being specifically appropriated by the General Assembly, to formulate and conduct a voter education program concerning voting procedures for voting by absentee ballot and at the polls with particular emphasis on the proper types of identification required for voting; and
(10) To take such other action, consistent with law, as the board may determine to be conducive to the fair, legal, and orderly conduct of primaries and elections.
HISTORY: Ga. L. 1958, p. 269, § 45; Ga. L. 1959, p. 57, § 1; Code 1933, § 34-202, enacted by Ga. L. 1968, p. 862, § 2; Ga. L. 1993, p. 118, § 1; Ga. L. 1993, p. 1670, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 295, § 1; Ga. L. 2001, p. 230, § 2; Ga. L. 2003, p. 517, § 2; Ga. L. 2006, p. 3, § 1/SB 84; Ga. L. 2008, p. 781, § 2/HB 1112.
Campaigns
Political campaigns and candidates have a legal right to free speech, which includes being able to contact you. The state cannot prevent them from contacting you.
The Election Integrity Act of 2021 requires campaigns and other organizations to include specific notices when they send voters applications for absentee ballots letting you know it is not from a government agency. That law also prohibits them from sending ballot applications to anyone who has already requested an absentee ballot.
Disabilities
The law requires that your county provide polling places that are accessible to people with disabilities. And Georgia’s paper-ballot voting system has adjustments to accommodate various disabilities. The machines have a headset so you can hear your choices read to you. They have large controls for people with limited mobility. And they can accommodate sip-and-puff devices.
Also, if you are visually impaired, you can use an app on your phone to read your ballot to you before you cast it. Before you leave the polling place, you are required to delete any photos of your ballot necessary to read it.
Refer to the Voting Assistance for People with Disabilities page for more information.
Any voter who is 75 years of age or older, or who is disabled and requires assistance in voting, may vote immediately at the next available voting compartment or booth without having to wait in line.
(As authorized by Code Section 21-2-409.)
Refer to the Voting Assistance for People with Disabilities page for more information.
Poll Workers
Poll workers are the backbone of county-run elections. Working at the polls can be fun, a learning experience and a great way to do your part to ensure that elections in your community are fair and accurate. Contact your county elections office about how to apply.
While Georgia appreciates poll workers, gaining the ability to be excused during election day when it falls on one of your normally scheduled workdays to work in the polls is a decision that has to be made between you and your employer.
Poll workers are paid. Each county decides the daily pay rate. Contact your County Elections Office for more information.
To serve as a poll worker, you must be 16 years of age or over and able to read, write, and speak English. Additionally, you must be a resident or employee of the county where you serve as a poll worker or have permission from your county’s election office to work in an adjoining county without causing a worker shortage in your home county.
Additionally, you may not work in an election if you are related to a candidate on the ballot.
Poll workers are hired and trained by Georgia’s 159 counties.
Candidate FAQ
A candidate can withdraw from a race as provided under O.C.G.A. 21-2-134(a)(2). All votes for the withdrawn candidate shall be void and shall not be counted.
This information is available on the My Voter Page.
Contact
Address
2 MLK Jr. Drive
Suite 802 Floyd West Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Phone