Are sample ballots available prior to the election?

Yes. Sample ballots are available through your county or municipal registrar's 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.

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. until 9:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 pm, and during the mid-day lunch hour.

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 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.

Am I required to show identification when I vote?

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;

(2) a valid identification card issued by a branch, department, agency, or entity of the State of Georgia, any other state, or the United States authorized by law to issue personal identification;

(3) a valid United States passport;

(4) a valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the elector and issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the United States government, this state, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;

(5) a valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the elector and issued by any employer of the elector in the ordinary course of such employer's business;

(6) a valid student identification card containing a photograph of the elector from any public or private college, university, or postgraduate technical or professional school located within the state of Georgia;

(7) a valid Georgia license to carry a pistol or revolver;

(8) a valid pilot's license issued by the Federal Aviation Administration or other authorized agency of the United States;

(9) a valid United States military identification card;

(10) a certified copy of the elector's birth certificate;

(11) a valid social security card;

(12) certified naturalization documentation;

(13) or a certified copy of court records showing adoption, name, or sex change.

Note: The precinct card you receive to confirm your voter registration and voting location is not a form of identification and is not sufficient identification to vote.

What happens if I don't have any identification with me at the polling place?

If an elector is unable to produce any of the required identification, the elector shall sign a statement under oath in a form approved by the Secretary of State, separate and distinct from the elector's voter certificate, swearing or affirming that he or she is the person identified on the elector's voter certificate. Such person shall be allowed to vote without undue delay. Falsely swearing or affirming such statement under oath is punishable as a felony.

May I receive assistance in casting my ballot?

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. The person providing the assistance to the voter must sign on the oath. When there is a federal candidate on the ballot, the voter can select anyone they want to assist them in voting, except for the voter's employer, an agent of that employer, or an officer or agent of the voter's union. When there is no federal candidate on the ballot, the voter can select any other resident of the precinct or a parent, sibling, spouse or child to assist them inside the voting booth. No person may assist more than ten voters in a primary, election, or runoff.

Note: 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 without waiting in line.

May I take my child to the polls with me?

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.

Can I wear a campaign button into the polling place?

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.

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Absentee Voting

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

You will be absent from your precinct from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on election day.
You are 75 years of age or older.
You have a physical disability which prevents you from voting in person or you are a constant caregiver of a person with a disability.
You are an election official.
You are observing a religious holiday which prevents you from voting in person.
You are required to remain on duty in your precinct for the protection of life, health, or safety of the public.

How do I apply for an absentee ballot?

You may request an absentee ballot as early as 180 days before an election. Absentee ballots must be signed and received by the county board of registrars' office on or before election day - no absentee ballots are issued on election day. You may download an absentee ballot application and mail it or fax it to your county board of registrars' office. The application must be in writing and must contain the address to which the ballot is to be mailed, the reason for voting by absentee ballot, sufficient information to identify you as a voter, and the election in which you wish to vote. If you are physically disabled or living temporarily outside your county of residence, a close relative may apply for an absentee ballot for you.

May I receive assistance with my absentee ballot?

A physically disabled or illiterate voter may receive assistance from another voter in the same county or municipality or from the same category of relatives who can make an application for or deliver an absentee ballot. If the voter is outside of the county or municipality, then a notary public can provide such assistance. Any person who assists another person to vote absentee must complete an oath prescribed by law demonstrating the statutory disability and that the ballot was completed as the voter desired. No person may assist more than ten voters in a primary, election, or runoff.

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Redistricting

Please reference http://www.georgia2000.org/redistricting/ and http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/gacdmap.htm for information concerning new legislative district maps.

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For more information contact:

Cathy Cox
Secretary of State
Elections Division
1104 West Tower
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SE
Atlanta, Ga. 30334
(404) 656-2871
1-800-551-8029 (TDD for the hearing or speech impaired)