ATLANTA -- Additional early voting locations have opened in areas around metro Atlanta as more interest has been expressed in voting before the Nov. 6 general election.
Early voting began on Oct. 15 ahead of the general election that, among other races, will determine who will be Georgia's next governor.
Long wait times of up to three hours have been seen in some areas -- including Cobb County -- for early voting. With the additional locations open, many feel that the long lines may be lessened in some areas.
In Georgia, early voting is open Monday through Saturday in most locations through Nov. 2. Hours will vary from county to county. Early voting locations are open to residents of the entire county in which they reside regardless of where in the county they live.
We have full details below regarding what voters need to have in order to vote early in the county in which they live:
List of advance voting locations and times for metro Atlanta counties
- Fulton County
- DeKalb County
- Gwinnett County
- Clayton County
- Cobb County
- Coweta County
- Douglas County
- Fayette County
- Henry County (Select the 'Early Voting' tab)
The Secretary of State's office provides information regarding voter information status, current precinct information and a full sample ballot for each registered voter in the state on the office's My Voter Page.
On that page, a visitor can enter their first initial, last name, county of residence and date of birth and find out their voter registration status, which precinct they are registered to vote in, along with that address - complete with directions, absentee ballot information and a link to elected officials that represent them.
Absentee voting information is presented on this page also. Nov. 2 is the final day for a registrar to mail back an absentee ballot for the general election.
In addition, there are links to change voter information in the event a voter has moved or needs to make some other change. A sample ballot is presented for the upcoming election so that the voter can see who is running ahead of time and get an idea of any ballot initiatives, referendum questions or proposed constitutional amendments present on the ticket.
Oct. 15 - Advance voting begins for the November General Election
Oct. 27 - Mandatory Saturday voting for the November General Election
Nov. 2 - Last day for a registrar to issue or mail absentee ballots for the November General Election
Nov. 6 - November General Election
What you will need when you go vote
When a voter comes to a polling place -- whether for advance voting or on Election Day -- they need to present one of several forms of government-issued identification:
- Any valid state or federal issued photo ID -- including a free ID card issued by your county registrar's office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS).
- A Georgia Driver's License -- even if it's expired.
- Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department agency or entity of the US Government, state of Georgia or any county, municipality, board, authority or any other entity of the state.
- Valid US passport ID.
- Valid US military photo ID.
- Valid tribal photo ID.
If you don't have a photo ID, here's how to get a free state of Georgia photo ID
If someone doesn't have one of these six acceptable forms of photo ID, Georgia offers a free ID card that can be issued at any county registrar's office or local Department of Driver's Services office, free of charge. To receive a free voter ID card, a voter 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.
An individual is not, however, required to provide identification when voting absentee via US Mail.
If you have any questions, please call the Secretary of State's Elections Division at 404-656-2871 weekdays from 8 a.m to 5:30 p.m.
Here are helpful links for Georgia Voters:
Register to vote online: sos.ga.gov/elections
Change voter registration address: sos.ga.gov/elections
Check registration status: www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do
Election offices by county: http://sos.ga.gov/cgi-bin/countyregistrarsindex.asp
