ATLANTA — For those hoping to cast their vote in the May primary via absentee ballot, there isn't much time left. Today marks the last day to request an absentee ballot in Georgia.
According to Georgia law, absentee ballot applications must be received by your county's election office 11 days prior to Election Day. Since this year's state primary is on May 21, absentee ballots must be requested by May 10.
How to request an 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 are all the ways to request a ballot from the state, according to its website.
Submit online
- Visit the Secretary of State's online portal for absentee ballot requests.
- Follow the portal prompts to request your ballot online.
- Once you have submitted your information, you should receive an email confirmation.
Submit by email, mail or fax
- Download and print the absentee ballot application.
- Fill out and sign the application.
- Email, mail or 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.
Once the request is approved, residents will receive their absentee ballot in the mail at the address listed on the application.
Fill out, sign the ballot and follow any instructions provided. Voters can return their ballot by mail, hand-deliver it to the county registrar, or put it in their county's drop box.
Then, mail it in with enough time to arrive by Election Day. Ballots that are not filled correctly may not be counted. If dropped off in Dropbox, it must be the same county listed on the ballot.
You can verify that the ballot was accepted on the Georgia My Voter Page by logging in and looking for “Absentee Ballot Request Information.” Georgia voters can also track their absentee ballots through BallotTrax, an online tracking tool that allows voters to monitor the status of their absentee ballots through the United States Postal Service.
The county elections office will contact the resident to fix the ballot for rejected ballots.
If the ballot does not show up after you request it, contact your county's registrar. If there is enough time, another ballot will be sent.
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.