How Georgia Voters Can Avoid Making Common Absentee Ballot Mistakes
In Georgia, almost 1.5 million voters have already applied to vote absentee this November. At Common Cause Georgia, our top priority is making sure that voters have the information they need to ensure their ballot arrives safely and is counted.
To learn about how you can avoid making common absentee ballot mistakes that could result in your vote-by-mail ballot not being processed or counted correctly, read on — then, use our sharing tool to send this information to your friends and family members.
When applying for your absentee ballot:
- Use Georgia’s online ballot request portal to request your ballot.
- If you don’t have a current state ID or drivers’ license, you can request your ballot using the paper form — which you can obtain by calling your county elections office or using Georgia’s “My Voter Page” website.
- Return your absentee ballot request by mail or email to your county elections office.
- Remember that it can take TWO weeks to get your absentee ballot, so request it now!
After you receive your ballot:
- Fill out your ballot fully.
- Make sure that you fill in bubbles completely, rather than marking them with an X or a check mark.
- Remember to put your ballot in the security envelope, and then, place the security envelope into the outside envelope.
- You must sign the outside envelope.
When returning your ballot:
- You can return your ballot in one of three ways:
- Put on correct postage and mail your ballot,
- Drop it in a secure absentee ballot drop box in your county (contact your county elections office for locations), or,
- Return your ballot to your county elections office.
- Absentee ballots must be RECEIVED by 7 pm on Election Day.
- Don’t forget to track your ballot!
Other important things to remember:
- If your absentee ballot is not accepted, your county elections office is required to contact you to give you a chance to “cure” — or correct — your ballot.
- If you decide to vote in person, take your absentee ballot with you to the polls.
- If you don’t receive your absentee ballot, you’ll have to sign an affidavit and you may have to vote provisionally — if this happens, make sure you return to your county elections office within 3 days to cure your ballot.
- County election officials inspect both the absentee ballot request and absentee ballot to make sure your information matches. You can include a copy of your ID with your absentee ballot to rectify any match issues that may come up.
It’s crucial that your family and friends have this information. You can play a critical role in ensuring that their ballots are counted in the November election.