Georgia

The polls must be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern, on Election Day. Please note that the voting dates, times, and locations for Advance In Person (AIP) Voting (also known as early voting or in-person absentee voting) may be different from the voter’s regular polling location. Advance In Person Voting locations can be checked here.

A voter can determine their proper Election Day polling place by checking the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page website here. Advance In Person Voting times and locations may be found on the Secretary of State’s website here.

Have questions or need more information? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)!

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Georgia if you:

• Are a resident of Georgia
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
• Are a U.S. citizen

You are NOT eligible to vote in Georgia if:

• You are currently serving a sentence including incarceration, parole, probation, or extended supervision for a felony conviction
• A judge has specifically ruled that you are not able to vote.

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or you have been pardoned, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote

You may preregister to vote in Georgia

• at the age of 17-1/2

How to register 

To register to vote the voter 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. 

A voter may NOT register to vote if they: 

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

A voter can determine whether he or she is registered to vote by checking the Georgia “My Voter Page” on the Secretary of State’s website at this link. 

Georgians who have a Georgia Driver’s License or State Issued ID card may use Georgia’s online voter registration system, which is available at this link.

Georgians who do not have a Georgia Driver’s License or State Issued ID card, may register to vote in person at their County Registrar’s office or may mail-in a voter registration form. The Georgia voter registration form may be downloaded from the Georgia Secretary of State’s website at this link.  The National Voter Registration form and the Georgia state specific instructions for completing the form can be found at this link. 

Georgians may also go to their public library, public assistance office, military recruitment office, schools, and certain other government offices for a mail-in registration form. 

Voter registration is also offered when you renew or apply for your driver’s license at the Department of Driver Services. 

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.

Georgians may also register to vote through third-party voter registration drives.  If a Georgian registers through a third-party voter registration drive, the application is treated as a mailed-in application. First time voters who register using a mailed-in application must provide proof of residency the first time they request a ballot.  This can include a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, Georgia driver’s license, Georgia state ID card, other government, or one of the forms of acceptable photo ID for voting bearing the voter’s name and current residence address.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• By Fax
• By Email
• Online

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Absentee voting (also known as Advance In Person Voting or mail voting) allows registered voters to vote by mail or in-person before election day. The State of Georgia will not automatically send absentee ballot applications to voters. Georgia voters who are at least 65 years old or are physically disabled may apply for one to receive absentee ballots for all elections during an election cycle, except for special elections which they must apply for separately.  All other voters must apply for an absentee ballot for each election, primary, special election, and runoff if they want to vote by absentee ballot. 

A voter (or an adult family member acting on their behalf, in certain circumstances) may request that an absentee ballot be sent to the voter by mail. Any registered Georgia voter can request a mail-in absentee ballot. No special circumstances are necessary. Georgia voters may apply for an absentee ballot on-line via the Secretary of State’s portal at this link.  

An absentee ballot application form can also be obtained on the Secretary of State’s website at this link or at county board of registrars’ offices. When requesting an absentee ballot, the voter’s name, date of birth, address as registered, address where the voter wishes the ballot to be mailed, and the number of his or her Georgia driver’s license or Georgia State identification card issued by the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicles. If the voter does not have a Georgia driver’s license or Georgia identification card, the voter shall provide a copy of one of the other acceptable forms of identification and affix a photocopy or electronic image of such identification to the application. 

A completed absentee ballot application can be mailed, e-mailed, faxed, or hand-delivered to the county board of registrars in person no more than 78 days prior to an election up until 11 days before the election. Note that in the case of the December 6, 2022 Runoff, the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is on November 28, 2022 because the 11^th day before the Runoff falls on a state holiday and the deadline runs on the next business day. However, voters are encouraged to submit their applications for an absentee ballot as  early as possible because it is possible the voter will not receive the ballot prior to the election if the voter waits until the deadline prior to the election to request the ballot. 

Under Georgia law, no person or entity other than a relative authorized to request an absentee ballot for a voter or a person signing as assisting an illiterate or physically disabled elector shall send any elector an absentee ballot application that is prefilled with the elector’s required information. Additionally, no person or entity other than the voter, a relative authorized to request an absentee ballot for an absent family member, a person signing as assisting an illiterate or physically disabled elector with his or her application, a common carrier, such as Federal Express, UPS or the United States Post Office charged with returning the ballot application, an absentee ballot clerk, a registrar, or a law enforcement officer in the course of an investigation is allowed to handle or return a voter’s completed absentee ballot application. Handling or returning a completed absentee ballot application by any person or entity other than by the voter or the persons described above constitutes a misdemeanor under Georgia law.

Once the voter receives their absentee ballot, Georgia law requires that the absentee ballot be personally mailed or returned in-person by the voter to an official absentee ballot drop box or to the county registrar’s office or by the voter’s mother, father, grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, spouse, son,  daughter, niece, nephew, grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law,  brother-in-law, sister-in-law, or an individual residing in the household of such voter. 

Note that voted absentee ballots must be received by the voter’s County Registrar’s office by no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day (i.e., by the close of polls) or placed in an official indoor county drop box during Advance In Person Voting days and times which end on the Friday prior to Election Day. Note that drop boxes are no longer available after the end of Advance In Person Voting, including on Election Day. Absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day, but which are not received by the County Registrar’s office by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day will be rejected and will not be counted as votes.

Early voting, also referred to in Georgia as, “Advance In Person Voting,” allows registered voters to vote early at specified sites in the county where they are registered to vote before the election.  Voters may go to the Secretary of State’s website to view their Advance In Person Voting place here. 

For the December 6, 2022 U.S. Senate Runoff, all Georgia counties must offer in person advance voting beginning on Monday, November 28, 2022 through Friday, December 2, 2022 between the hours of 9:00 am until 5:00 p.m. ET.  However,  Counties have the option to extend Advance In Person Voting hours to as early as 7:00 a.m. or as late as 7:00 p.m. but some counties may choose not to extend early voting hours at all and may not offer any hours beyond 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Counties also have the option to extend the days of early voting to include Tuesday, November 22, Wednesday, November 23, Saturday, November 26 and Sunday, November 27, 2022 for the December 6, 2022 U.S. Senate Runoff. However, not all counties will choose to offer early voting on all or some of these additional days. Voters may go to the Secretary of State’s website to view their Advance in Person Voting hours here. It is best for voters to confirm the dates, times, and locations when the Advance In Person Voting sites will be open in their counties before going to the polls.

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Georgia you should provide one of the following:

• Your Georgia Driver’s License Number
• Other Government Issued Photo ID

If you do not have these IDs, you may provide:

• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number

If you are registering to vote for the first time by mail, you will need to provide proof of residency. Acceptable proof includes:

• Current and Valid Photo ID
• Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
• Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address

If you are voting by absentee ballot under the Uniform and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act you are exempt from this requirement.

Voting In-Person

In Georgia, you need to show a valid ID to vote. You can use any ID from this list:

• Valid Employee Photo ID from Federal or State government
• Valid Student ID from State School
• Valid Georgia Voter ID Card with Photo
• Expired Georgia Driver’s License
• Valid Federal Issued ID
• Valid Military ID
• Valid Georgia Driver’s License
• Valid Tribal ID
• Valid US Passport
• Valid Georgia Issued ID
• Valid Employee Photo ID from Local Government

Georgia generally requires photo ID in order to vote, except in the case of certain first time Georgia voters who registered to vote by mail (or through a voter registration drive) who are able to show some forms of non-photo IDs to vote as described below. Acceptable forms of photo ID include:

• 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
• Valid Student ID from a Georgia Public College, University or Technical College.           
• Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. 
• Government, State of Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state 

• Valid U.S. passport      
• Valid U.S. military photo ID containing a photograph of the voter
• Valid tribal photo ID containing a photograph of the voter

Note: The address on the ID does not have to match the address at which the voter is registered to vote. 

Please note that if the voter has changed their name due to marriage, divorce or for other reasons, they should bring proof of the name change with them when they go to vote if they have not updated their voter registration to reflect the name change before the close of voter registration on November 7, 2022 for the U.S. Senate Runoff, they will be asked to update that information when they vote in person or if they request an absentee by mail ballot.

If a voter registered to vote via mail (including through voter registration drives) but did not include a form of acceptable ID with their registration form, they may produce a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter or one of the acceptable forms of photo ID described above when they request a ballot for the first time.

If a voter’s registration is in “pending” status for citizenship verification, the voter will be required to produce an acceptable form of proof of U.S. citizenship to a poll manager when they go to vote for the first time or to their county registrar or deputy registrar before they request a ballot in order to be able to vote a regular ballot.  A link to the list of acceptable proof of citizenship documents for those in “pending” status for proof of citizenship can be accessed here.

A voter without the above forms of identification or proof of citizenship (if required) may vote a provisional ballot. In order for the provisional ballot to count, the voter must present proper ID or proof of U.S. citizenship (if required), to the registrar’s office within 3 days after election day or the provisional ballot will not count.     

If a first-time voter’s voter registration form information did not match records on file for the voter with the Georgia Department of Drivers Services or the Social Security Administration, the voter will be required to produce proof of identification when they request a ballot for the first time.  The acceptable forms of ID for this purpose include a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter or one of the acceptable forms of photo ID described above.

Moved within the same precinct:

Voters should go to the same precinct if they have moved within the same precinct. They will need to fill out a change of address form.

Moved to a different precinct but within the same county:

Voters should go to their old precinct. They will be able to vote at their old precinct but will need to fill out a change of address form for the next election.

Moved to a different county within Georgia:

If a registered voter moved to a different county in Georgia within 30 days prior to an election, the voter should vote at their old precinct one last time and update their address information when they go to vote. If the voter moved out of the county where they were registered to vote more than 30 days prior to an election,  they were required to register to vote in the county of their new residence by November 7, 2022 for the December 6, 2022 U.S. Senate Runoff. Otherwise, they will not be eligible to vote in the December 6, 2022 U.S. Senate Runoff.

Moved from a different state:

It depends on when the voter moved. If the voter moved to Georgia on or prior to the last day to register to vote in an election, they were required to register to vote by November 7, 2022 in order to vote in the December 6, 2022 U.S. Senate Runoff.  If the voter moved to Georgia after the close of registration for the U.S. Senate Runoff, they will not be eligible to vote in that election because the November 7, 2022 registration deadline has passed. There is an exception for an election in which the president and vice president are on the ballot. In that case, if the voter moved to Georgia after the close of voter registration, they should contact the election official in their former state to request an absentee ballot that will permit them to vote for the candidates for president and vice president only.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
• Valid Georgia Driver’s License

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
• Your Georgia Driver’s License Number

Any registered Georgia voter can request a mail-in absentee ballot. No special circumstances are necessary. 

See the section on Early Voting and Voting by Absentee Ballot, above.

In Georgia, if the voter is serving a sentence in jail for a misdemeanor or are on probation for a misdemeanor they are eligible to register to vote and to vote. 

If the voter was convicted of a felony, they are also eligible to register to vote and to vote if they were sentenced under the First Offender Act and their sentence has not been revoked or if the voter was sentenced under the Conditional Discharge statute and their sentence has not been revoked. These sentences are not convictions unless the judge revokes the status. If a voter pled nolo contendere (“no contest”), they are also eligible to vote even if they are still serving a felony sentence. 

If the voter is serving a sentence for a felony conviction and does not fall under one of the exceptions above (i.e., voter was not sentenced under the First Offender Act or the conditional discharge statute or did not plead “no contest”), the voter is not eligible to register to vote or to vote. 

If the voter still owes fines that were imposed as a separate part of their felony sentence – in addition to incarceration or probation – the voter’s sentence may not be complete. The voter can see what their sentence was by looking at the sentencing sheet (the disposition) in their case, which they can obtain from the clerk of court for the court that resolved the case.

Voters do not need to provide anything to prove that they have completed their sentence unless their right to vote because of a felony conviction or sentence is being challenged by the voter’s County Board of Elections or by another registered voter in the same county. Their right to vote is automatically restored once the sentence is complete. The voter will have to register to vote again once they have served their sentence(s) for any felony conviction(s), including payment of any required fines, fees, and completion of any periods of parole and any other non-custodial terms of the sentence.