How to vote by absentee ballot in Georgia

ATLANTA — People registered to vote in Georgia can request their ballots by mail with an absentee ballot, according to the state's website. 

Residents do not need an excuse to request an absentee ballot, but it has to make it to their local County Board of Registrar's Office by the time polls close on Election Day to be counted. 

Here's how to get them delivered to your home in time for the primaries in May:

Be registered to vote

Check your registration in Georgia, and make sure all personal information is up to date. To register, you'll need a form of voter identification, "such as a government-issued driver’s license or identification card," the state said online. 

If you've never registered, make sure you're eligible. To register to vote in Georgia, you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States
• Be a legal resident of the county
• Be at least 17.5 years of age to register and 18 years of age to vote
• Not be serving a sentence for conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude
• Have not been found mentally incompetent by a judge 

>> Register online here and register by mail with this form

Request absentee ballot 

Ballots must be submitted by the deadline and can be requested online, by email, mail, fax or in person. Requests can be made between 78 and 11 days before Election Day.

Here's your reminder that the last day to request an absentee ballot for the May primary election is May 13. Here are all the ways to request a ballot from the state, according to its website.

Submit online

1. Visit the Secretary of State's online portal for absentee ballot requests.
2. Follow the portal prompts to request your ballot online.
3. Once you have submitted your information, you should receive an email confirmation.

Submit by email

1. Download and print the absentee ballot application.
2. Fill out and sign the application.
3. Email the application to your County Board of Registrar’s Office.

Submit by mail

1. Download and print the absentee ballot application.
2. Fill out and sign the application.
3. Mail the application to your County Board of Registrar’s Office.

Submit by fax

• Download and print the absentee ballot application.
• Fill out and sign the application.
• Fax the application to your County Board of Registrar’s Office.

Submit in person

• Download and print the absentee ballot application.
• Fill out and sign the application.
• Present the application in person to your County Board of Registrar’s Office.

VOTE

Once the request is approved, residents will receive the ballot in the mail at the address listed on the application. 

Fill out, sign the ballot and make sure to follow any instructions provided. Then, mail it in with enough time to arrive by Election Day. Ballots that are not filled correctly may not be counted. 

Verify that the ballot was accepted on the Georgia My Voter Page by logging in and looking for “Absentee Ballot Request Information.” 

Issues with ballots 

For rejected ballots, the county elections office will contact the resident to fix the ballot. 

If the ballot does not show up after requesting it, contact your county's registrar. Another ballot will be sent if there's enough time. 

If one cannot be sent for any reason, residents can vote in person but must sign a document stating that they only voted once. People who turned in their absentee ballot cannot turn around and vote in person. 

"Once you return your absentee ballot, you have voted," Georgia's website said.