ATLANTA — Georgia's early voting period began Monday, Feb. 19, for the 2024 presidential primaries.
Some things to know include that in Georgia, primary voting is open -- meaning you can request either a Democratic or Republican ballot, regardless of if you're registered with either party. Also, under a new provision in Georgia law, two hours of paid leave is available to workers to go vote -- though it does still need to be arranged with your employer and cleared.
Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling posted on X on Monday morning that 20,421 absentee ballots have been mailed to those requesting them. If you wish to vote absentee, you can request one at this link. The last day to request an absentee ballot is March 1, and there is no "deadline" you need to mail it back by -- rather, it must be received by the time polls close on Election Day, so voters are advised to complete their ballots and mail them back as soon as possible.
Sterling also gave an update Monday evening on social media about turnout for the first day of early voting. He said that so far, 1,348 absentee ballots were accepted and that they saw 15,947 early votes cast. This makes a total of 17,295 votes cast so far.
You can look up your specific county information on the Georgia Secretary of State's website here. If you're voting absentee, you can already make your ballot request here.
Georgia primary early voting dates 2024
Here is the calendar for 2024 election dates from the Secretary of State's Office.
- February 19: First day of early voting
- February 24: First mandatory Saturday early voting
- February 25: First optional Sunday early voting day
- March 1: Last day to request absentee ballot for primaries (Remember, if you vote absentee, there is no "deadline" for when you have to mail it in -- rather, the deadline applies to when it needs to arrive by: i.e. you have to make sure you send it in early enough that it arrives by the times polls close on Election Day.)
- March 2: Second mandatory Saturday early voting day
- March 3: Second optional Sunday early voting day
- March 8: Final day of early voting
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