ATLANTA — A massive voter registration drive gets underway during the Independence Day holiday weekend, with hopes of adding millions to the voter rolls across the country.
Georgia is one of a number of potential battleground states that both Democrats and Republicans are focusing on as pivotal to not only the final outcome for the presidency, but for the US Senate.
An additional reason that Georgia is very important in the national political picture is that the Peach State, uniquely, is electing two senators as opposed to one during this election cycle.
Facebook is launching a voter registration drive, leveraging its large membership base to ensure that as many of them as possible are registered.
A video from the company's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg was released to its users on Friday pointing out that the 2020 election has very high stakes for the future of the nation.
In Friday's video, Sandberg said the company is launching what she called the "largest voter registration effort in history," with the intent of registering 4 million people ahead of the November General Election.
Facebook has had to withstand an increased level of criticism of its policies and those of its CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding the company's refusal to take action against perceived false claims by President Trump in recent weeks.
Previously, Zuckerberg had refused to take action against Trump posts suggesting that mail-in ballots will lead to voter fraud, saying that people deserved to hear unfiltered statements from political leaders.
Facebook said Friday they will be providing links to information for users of the social media platform to check their own registration status, locate early voting locations in their communities and early voting options where they live.
When is the next election in Georgia and who can vote?
The next election in Georgia is the runoff for the General Primary election which occurred in June.
Early voting for the runoff begins on July 20, leading up to the runoff election day on August 11.
Candidates competing in the August 11 runoff are the top two vote-getters who did not win their races in the June primary by an absolute majority of the votes cast -- or 50 percent-plus one vote -- in their particular contest.
In order to vote in the August 11 runoff, an individual had to have been registered before the May 11 deadline for the June 9 primary date. A registered voter does not have to have voted in the primary to participate in the runoff election.
There are four federal offices across the state that have gone to runoffs: The Republican races for the 14th and 9th Congressional Districts and the Democratic races in the 1st and 9th Congressional Districts.
Initially, it looked like a fifth race -- involving metro Atlanta incumbent congressman David Scott (D-13th) -- may have also been headed for a runoff, but final counts indicated that he had received the necessary vote totals to avoid a runoff
The eligibility rules governing who can vote in federal races are slightly different than the rules governing local races.
Citizens in the three congressional districts who wish to vote in any of those three federal races may still vote in those runoff races, provided they register before July 13, 2020. However, anyone who registers before the July 13 deadline, may NOT vote in any of the remaining state or local races during the runoff election.
What is the deadline to register for the November General Election?
In Georgia, the voter registration deadline for the November 3, General Election is on Monday, October 5, 2020.
According to the Secretary of State's office, early voting for the general election will begin on October 12. The Secretary of State's office says the earliest date that absentee ballots may be mailed by registrars to voters is September 15.
How do I find out my voter status in Georgia?
Everyone in Georgia is encouraged to check their voter registration status on the Secretary of State's My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.
On that page, in addition to checking their voter registration status, Georgia citizens can obtain:
- Mail-in ballot applications and status
- Local polling precinct information
- Early voting locations in their county
- A full list of who their elected officials are
- The exact registration information on file with their county's election office
- A sample ballot for the next election
- Their provisional ballot status
How do I register to vote in Georgia?
There are several different methods of voter registration in the state of Georgia.
Online
If someone is not registered to vote, they are able to register to vote directly online.
On that site, they would fill out a five-step form and submit identifying information.
In-Person
Voter registration forms can be picked up in person at any state or government office, including public libraries, schools. county board of registrar's officers or election offices. To locate those offices by county, click here.
By Mail
Residents interested in registering to vote through the mail can download an application (click here) or pick one up from any state or government office, including public libraries, schools. county board of registrar's officers or election offices. To locate those offices by county, click here.
Fill out the form completely and follow directions on the form for where to mail it.
After registering, you will receive a voter registration card. If you do no receive the card within four weeks, contact your county registrar's office. To locate those offices by county, click here.
What type of ID is needed to vote?
All voters must have an acceptable photo ID in order to vote.
- 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 (DDS)
- A Georgia Driver's License, even if expired
- 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
- Valid tribal photo ID
- Georgia Voter ID card. More on how to obtain that card, here.
Election results: 11Alive.com/elections
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