Georgia Runoff Election FAQ
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Key Dates and Deadlines for the December 6 General Runoff Election
Voter Registration Deadline
Early Voting Starts
Early Voting Ends
NOTE: While early voting begins on November 28 for most counties, some counties start earlier – find your county.
Election Day (polls open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
Voter Registration
The voter registration deadline for the December 2022 runoff was November 7, 2022.
Check your voter registration status on the on the Georgia My Voter Page portal.
While the registration deadline for the December 2022 runoff has passed, you can register to vote for future elections if:
- You are a US Citizen
- A legal resident of Georgia and the county in which you wish to vote
- At least 17.5 years of age to register and 18 to vote
You can register:
- Online if you have a valid Georgia driver’s license or ID card
- Or by downloading and returning a paper application
For more information, head to the Georgia Secretary of State’s How-To Guide.
In-Person Voting
Runoff elections take place when no candidate wins the required majority of votes. Anyone who is registered to vote in Georgia can vote in runoff elections, regardless of whether or not they voted in the general election.
You will be asked to show one of the following forms of photo identification when voting in person:
- 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
- Student ID from a Georgia public College or University
- 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 containing a photograph of the voter
- Valid tribal photo ID containing a photograph of the voter
If you do not have one of the above forms of ID, you can request a free voter ID card from your county registrar’s office or the Department of Driver Services. Your card will remain active as long as you reside in the same county and remain qualified to vote.
- To receive a voter identification card, you must provide:
- A photo identity document or approved non-photo identity document that includes full legal name and date of birth
- Documentation showing the voter’s date of birth
- Evidence that the applicant is a registered voter in the State of Georgia
- Documentation showing the applicant’s name and residential address
Find more information on ID requirements on the Georgia Secretary of State site.
Polling locations can be found on the Georgia My Voter Page portal.
Advanced Voting Locations can be found on the Georgia My Voter Page portal.
Early voting is held in every county from 11/28 – 12/2 but it varies and some counties offer early voting earlier than that. Use the link above to find dates and locations for your county.
During early voting you can vote in any of your county’s early voting sites.
Find early voting locations on the Georgia My Voter Page portal.
On Election Day you must vote in your assigned precinct.
The law requires that your county provide polling places that are accessible to people with disabilities. Georgia’s paper-ballot voting system includes adjustments to accommodate various disabilities. Headsets are available so you can hear your choices read to you. Large controls are available for people with limited mobility, and they can accommodate sip-and-puff devices.
Also, if you are visually impaired, you can use an app on your phone to read your ballot to you before you cast it. Before you leave the polling place, you are required to delete any photos of your ballot necessary to read it.
You can get help voting if you are unable to sign your name, unable to see or mark the ballot, operate the voting equipment, or enter the voting booth without assistance. When you arrive, you must give the poll worker the name of the person assisting you or write it on your voter certificate.
- You can choose anyone to help you except: your employer or agent of your employer, an officer or agent of your union, anyone whose name appears on the ballot as a candidate, a candidate’s spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law.
Any voter who is 75 years of age or older, or who is disabled and requires assistance in voting, may vote immediately at the next available voting compartment or booth without having to wait in line.
The voting system is available with a range of accessibility devices that voters can use to navigate through the ballot and make their selections— a hand-held controller called the Audio Tactile Interface (ATI), sip and puff device, or paddle device.
- Adaptive voting machines include: Seated Voting, Visual Mode, Audio Mode, and Tactile Mode
If a voter requests a mail-in/absentee ballot but wants to vote in person, they should take the absentee ballot with them to the poll and the poll manager or poll worker can cancel that ballot and allow you to vote on the touch screen.
If a voter loses or did not receive an absentee ballot, a voter may sign an affidavit affirming that they lost, destroyed, or did not receive the first absentee ballot.
If you received and sent back an absentee ballot but the registrar has not received it yet, If you received and sent back an absentee ballot but the registrar has not received it yet, you must cancel the mail-in ballot. Please reach out ASAP to your clerk for details on the cancellation process.
If the ballot was completed, returned, and received by the registrar, the absentee ballot will be deemed as voted and you may not vote in person.
Voting by Mail/Voting Absentee
Any voter registered in Georgia can vote by mail.
You can request to vote by mail:
- Online on the Secretary of State’s Absentee Request site
- By emailing, mailing, or faxing the filled out application to your county registrar’s office
- In person at your country registrar’s office
The last day to request an absentee ballot is November 28.
You will need to include the number from your driver’s license or state-issued ID card, or have a copy of your acceptable ID ready to submit with your application.
Acceptable ID includes:
- United States Passport
- Georgia Voter identification card
- Other valid photo 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
- US military identification card containing a photograph of the voter
- Employee ID 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 containing a photograph of the voter
- Tribal identification card, provided that such identification card contains a photograph of the voter
- Student ID from a Georgia public College or University
OR
Any of the following documents that show your name and address:
- Current Utility bill
- Bank statement
- Paycheck
- Government check
- Other government document
There are three ways you can return your absentee ballot:
- By mail
- At your county registrar’s office
- At a dropbox in your county
To complete your absentee ballot:
- Fill out and sign your absentee ballot according to the instructions provided
- Sign and seal the provided envelope
- Return your ballot by mailing it back or hand delivering it to your county registrar’s office or drop box
Absentee ballots will be checked using the ID information you write on the outside envelope instead of your signature. Failure to complete your ballot correctly or not enter the required information on the outer oath envelope could invalidate your ballot.
Each voter must return their own ballot, however If you registered as a disabled voter, someone in your household can hand-deliver your absentee ballot for you.
Your voted ballot must be received (NOT postmarked) by Election Day, Tuesday, December 6.
We strongly recommend hand delivering your ballot. If mailing your ballot, do so by November 29 at the latest to ensure it is received on time.
*See Voting by Mail for Military/Overseas Voters for military and overseas return deadline
Overseas and military voters can get their ballots electronically or by regular mail. If requesting electronic ballot delivery, remember to include a valid email address on the application.
Ballot requests must be received by November 25, 2022.
Ballots must be postmarked by December 6, 2022 and received by Friday, December 9.
More information can be found on the Georgia Secretary of State site, and eligible military and overseas voters can apply for a ballot on the Federal Voting Assistance Program site.