If you haven’t voted yet, or you’re on the fence, here’s a few things to keep in mind.
Votes for De la Cruz and West won’t count
Presidential candidates Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz’s names will appear on your ballot when you vote. However, votes for them will not be counted.
That’s because they were disqualified by the Georgia Supreme Court last month after a series of lawsuits brought by the Democratic Party. By the time a decision was rendered, ballots were already being printed and programmed into voting machines, so the court ruled it was too late for the Secretary of State to remove the names from the ballots.
You should see a notice by your voting machine informing you of this.
Do’s and don’ts of voting
DO:
- Check our Georgia Decides election guide to see who is on your ballot and how they responded to our candidate questionnaire on the issues.
- Check your voter registration on the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page to make sure you’re registered and to find your polling place.
- Reminder: Through Nov. 1, you can vote at any early voting location in your county, but you must vote at your assigned polling place on Election Day.
- Bring valid photo ID to vote.
DON’T:
- Wear campaign paraphernalia to vote.
- Campaign for a candidate or issue within 150 feet of a polling place or within 25 feet of a voter standing in line to vote.
- Bring a firearm with you to the polling place.
Fun fact: You can vote drunk, so long as you’re not causing a scene.
Voter protection
If you experience voter intimidation or suppression, or see something concerning at the polls, here are some hotlines you can call for help:
Non-partisan Election Protection Hotlines:
- English 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
- Spanish/English 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)
- Asian Languages/English 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)
- Arabic/English 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)
Secretary of State Voter Fraud Hotline: 877-725-9797
What happens if you have to vote by provisional ballot?
What if you are registered to vote or have a good-faith belief that you are – but the poll workers can’t determine that you are registered when you show up to vote? You can still cast what’s called a ‘provisional ballot.’
You can also vote provisionally if you have forgotten your photo ID and don’t have time to retrieve it before the polls close. Or, if you accidentally show up at the wrong polling place within half an hour of the polls closing — so that you can’t reasonably make it to your assigned polling place — you can cast a provisional ballot.
Your county elections office will determine your provisional ballot’s eligibility within three days of Election Day – so by Nov. 8 this year.
If there are any issues with your provisional ballot or your absentee mail-in ballot, you must go to the county elections office to cure your ballot. Typically, you will be asked to provide photo ID and sign an affidavit affirming that the ballot cast is yours.
Make sure to contact your county elections office by Nov. 8 to verify that your provisional ballot was received and counted – and if not, for instructions on how to cure your ballot.
To find contact information for your county elections office, just enter your county on this handy webpage from the Secretary of State.
Deadlines
The last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 25. Be sure to mail back your absentee ballot in time for it to arrive by Election Day on Nov. 5. You can request and track your absentee ballot at the My Voter Page. You can also hand-deliver your absentee ballot at your county elections office or a designated drop box.
The last day of early voting is Nov. 1.
Election Day is Nov 5. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
The last day to cure a provisional ballot is Nov. 8.
