Voting Information : Registration , Absentee Voting, & Sample Ballots  

  1. Voter Registration

Register to vote

How to Register:

Registration Requirements

To register to vote you must:

  • Be a citizen of the United States.
  • Be a legal resident of the county.
  • Be at least 17 1/2 years of age to register and 18 years of age to vote.
  • Not be serving a sentence for conviction of a felony.
  • Not have been found mentally incompetent by a judge.

To vote, you must have registered at least 30 days before election day.

Georgia law allows for multiple forms of acceptable ID, which includes:

  • A Georgia Driver's License, even if expired.
  • 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 (DDS)
  • A 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
  • A valid U.S. passport ID; a valid U.S. military photo ID; or a valid tribal photo ID
  • A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.


There are several ways to register to vote or update your registration:

  • If you have a Georgia Driver's License or State ID Card, you can register online using the Georgia My Voter Page                                                 ( https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/olvr-home ) . This website will also give access to updating and checking your current voter registration information.  
  • You can choose to register when you renew or apply for your driver's license at Department of Driver Services.
  • If you are registered in Columbia County and changing your address within the county, you can fill out the back of your precinct card.
  • You can come to our office, the public library, public assistance office, recruitment office, school, or other government offices for a registration form.
  • 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.
  1. Absentee Voting

Absentee Voting In-Person: Early Voting


Georgia law provides three weeks of in-person early voting in regularly scheduled primaries and elections. Saturday voting is offered as well for (state/federal) primaries and elections on the 2nd Saturday prior to the date of the election.


Voters who vote in-person during the early voting process must provide one of the following 6 forms of photo identification required under Georgia law:

 

  • A valid Georgia driver's license, even if expired.
  • Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID.
  • 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

 

If a citizen does not have one of the above acceptable forms of photo ID, the State of Georgia offers a free Voter ID Card that can be issued by the Board of Elections office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services. More information on Georgia's Voter Identification Requirements and obtaining a free Voter Identification Card is available at the Georgia Secretary of State's Website.

Absentee Voting By Mail: 

Step 1 : Apply for Your Ballot 

 

Georgia law allows for absentee by mail ballots to be requested no earlier than 78 days and no later than 11 days prior to an election. To request an absentee by mail ballot, voters are required to complete and submit an absentee ballot application/request form with their county registration office. 

These forms of identification are acceptable to be submitted with your completed application if you do not have a Georgia Driver's License or State Identification Card Number :

Identification with your photograph:

  • United States military identification card
  • Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the United States government, Georgia state government, or Georgia county, municipality, board, authority, or any other entity of the state of Georgia
  • Georgia voter identification card
  • United States Passport
  • Tribal identification card

 

Documents that show your name and address:

  • Current utility bill
  • Paycheck
  • Bank statement
  • Other government document
  • Government check

Accessing the Absentee Ballot Application: 

No person or entity other than the elector, a relative authorized to request an absentee ballot application for such elector, a person signing as assisting an illiterate or physically disabled elector with his or her application, a common carrier charged with returning the ballot application, an absentee ballot clerk, a registrar, or a law enforcement officer in the course of an investigation shall handle or return an elector's completed absentee ballot application. Handling a completed absentee ballot application by any person or entity other than as allowed in this paragraph is a misdemeanor.

Step 2 : Return Your Official Absentee Ballot


Your Official absentee ballot may be returned to our office using any of the following methods: 

  • Absentee Ballots may be returned through the U.S. Mail.
  • A voter may hand deliver their own ballot to the Board of Elections office during normal office hours and until 7 pm on the day of the election.
  • Family members may hand deliver a ballot for a disabled person to the Elections office during normal office hours and until 7 pm on Election Night.

 

The best course of action is to personally mail or personally deliver your ballot yourself. However, Georgia law allows the below individuals to mail or deliver your ballot for you with your authorization:

 

  • Your 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, or sister-in-law.
  • An individual residing in the same household as the voter; or the caretaker of a voter with disabilities.

 

You should not give your ballot to anyone else. Third-party groups, candidates, campaigns or anybody other than the people listed above are not allowed to collect your ballot (a practice known as "ballot harvesting"). It's against the law in Georgia. If an unknown person attempts to collect your ballot, even if they say they are from the Secretary of State's office or your county elections office, please report the person to the Secretary of State's office.