How to vote in Georgia: A guide for the 2024 election year

The State of Georgia is coming up on a series of major elections in this year — the presidential primary and general election, as well as the election of all House of Representative and the state Legislature.

And in a few weeks, voters across Georgia are going to be voting in local elections and referendums.

This year's local election will be held on Nov. 7. The deadline to register has already passed, and early voting starts on Oct. 16.

2024 election dates

• Presidential primary: March 12, registration deadline Feb. 12, early voting from Feb. 19 - March 8.

• State primary and non-partisan election: May 21, registration deadline April 22, advance voting period from April 29 - May 17.

• General election: Nov. 5, registration deadline Oct. 7, advance voting period Oct. 14 - Nov. 1.

There will also be a joint runoff after the presidential and state primary if necessary on June 18, and a runoff if necessary for the general election on Dec. 3.

How to register to vote in Georgia

To register to vote in Georgia, you have to be a citizen, a legal resident of one of Georgia's counties, and at least 17.5 years old. In order to vote, you will have to be 18 by election day. You cannot vote if you are currently serving a prison sentence for a felony conviction or have been ruled mentally incompetent by a court.

You can register to vote by filling out a hard copy of the form and mailing it or handing it in to your local board of elections office. You can also register to vote online if you have a valid driver's license or an identification card issued by the Georgia Department of Driver Services. You can see a full list of acceptable photo ID online by visiting dds.georgia.gov/voter.

Voters in Georgia do not register with a party when they register to vote, and it is an "open primary" state. If you vote during a primary election you can request any party ballot when you vote.

To check your registration, update your registration, or see where you should go to vote, visit https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/.

How to vote

Voting in person on election day

You can always vote in person on election day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are still in line by 7 p.m. you will be allowed to vote.

To find where your polling place is, visit the same "My Voter Page" as you would use to check on your registration. On election day you must vote at that polling location.

If you are voting in person you must bring a valid photo identification, which can include a passport, driver's license or a special free voter ID card issued at any county Board of Registrar's Office. If you need assistance with voting, you can request it from the county Board of Register.

If for some reason you do not meet the requirements to vote, you can request a provisional ballot, which will be counted if you fix any issues within three days after Election Day.

Voting early in person

Early voting allows registered voters to cast a ballot in person prior to election day.

It begins on the fourth Monday prior to an election and ends the Friday before the election. It will be available Monday through Friday, and the second and third Saturdays before the election, with an option for polling locations to open on the second and third Sundays as well.

During early voting you can vote at any early voting location within your county. These locations can be found on the Secretary of State's website.

Polls will usually be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Counties have the option to extend the hours beyond that.

You will need to present photo ID such as a passport, driver's license or voter ID card, just as you would voting on election day.

Voting by absentee ballot

Anyone can vote in Georgia by absentee ballot, and you do not need an excuse. You do need to request an absentee ballot ahead of time, and must return it by the time the polls close on Election Day for it to be counted.

You can request an absentee ballot anytime between 78 to 11 days prior to an election. If you are requesting an absentee ballot for a primary, you can ask for a partisan or non-partisan ballot.

You can request an absentee ballot:

• Online at by filling out the application, verifying your voter ID or upload a copy of your photo ID, printing and signing the application, and then scanning and uploading a copy of the finished application.

• Through email by printing the absentee ballot application, verifying or scanning a copy of your photo ID, signing the application, scanning it and emailing it to your County Board of Registrar's Office.

• Through the mail by printing and filling out the application, entering your state ID or driver's license number (or including a copy of another acceptable ID), signing it, and mailing it to County Board of Registrar's Office.

• Through fax by printing and filling out the absentee ballot application, entering your state ID or driver's license number (or including a copy of another acceptable ID), signing it, and faxing it to your County Board of Registrar's Office.

• In person by downloading and filling out the absentee ballot application, entering your state ID or driver's license number (or including a copy of another acceptable ID), signing it and bringing it in person to the County Board of Registrar's Office along with the photo ID.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Voting in Georgia: What to know, how to register