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Voting in Georgia
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| Voting in 2013 Primaries • Voting on November 5, 2013 Poll Opening and Closing Times Absentee voting • Early voting Open Primary • Closed Primary • Blanket Primary • Online voter registration in the 50 states |
Contents |
Registration
Georgia uses an open primary system, meaning voters are not required to declare a party preference when registering to vote.
To vote in Georgia, you must meet the following requirements:[1]
- Be a citizen of the United States
- Be a legal resident of the county
- Be at least 171/2 years of age to register and 18 years of age to vote
- Not be serving a sentence for conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude
- Have not been found mentally incompetent by a judge
When and where
Registration must be completed at least 28 days prior to the election that you wish to vote in. Registration can be done online or by printing off and filling out a form here.[1]
Online registration
Georgia passed legislation in 2012 authorizing online voter registration, but a system has not yet been implemented.
Voting on election day
Photo identification is required when voting on election day. The following are considered to be valid forms of identification:[2]
- Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free Voter ID Card issued by your county registrar's office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS)
- A Georgia Driver's License, even if expired
- 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
- Valid tribal photo ID
Poll times
- See also: State Poll Opening and Closing Times
In Georgia, polls are open from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM Eastern Time on Election Day. Any voter who is waiting in line to vote at 7:00 PM will be allowed to vote.[3]
Absentee voting
Eligibility
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Georgia. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.
Deadlines
To vote absentee, an absentee ballot application must be received at any point up until the close of polls on election day. However, a returned absentee ballot must be received by 7pm on election day.
Military and overseas voting
For full details, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program here.
Early voting
Georgia is one of 33 states that has early voting with no specific requirements as to who can vote early. Early voting is held on the Monday-Friday of the week immediately preceding the election. The average number of days prior to an election that voters can cast an early ballot is 21 days in states with a definitive starting date.
