How to Vote in Georgia’s 2024 Elections

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Note: The primary election has passed and multiple races will head to a runoff. Check the secretary of state’s website to see if a runoff will be held in your district. In Georgia, a runoff between the top two vote-getters occurs for races in which no candidate has received more than 50 percent of the votes.

• Primary runoff: Tuesday, June 18
• General election: Tuesday, Nov. 5
• General runoff: Tuesday, Dec. 3

• Voter registration: The deadline to register for the primary runoff has passed. Visit My Voter Page to check your registration status.

• Absentee voting: Available to all eligible Georgia voters. But absentee ballots are not sent out automatically; you’ll need to request and apply for one. 

• Early voting: Also called advanced voting, this option is available to all registered voters. You can vote at any early polling site in your county. 
  
• Voting at the polls: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Bring an acceptable photo ID.

• A law passed in 2023 requires employers to allow workers to take up to two hours off to vote during the early in-person voting window. Previously, time off was required only on Election Day.

• Congressional and state legislative maps approved by Georgia lawmakers in December 2023 have been upheld by a federal judge. The redrawn maps may change district boundaries and affect which candidates appear on your ballot. 

• A 2021 voting law shortened the absentee voting window, introduced new ID requirements for mail ballots and set rules for drop boxes, among other changes. Litigation over parts of the law is ongoing. Check back for updates.

The deadline to register for the primary runoff has passed. For the general election, the deadline to register is Monday, Oct. 7.

• Online: Use the Georgia secretary of state’s Online Voter Registration System. You will need a valid driver’s license or a state identification card issued by the Georgia Department of Driver Services.  

• By mail: Download and complete a postage-paid voter registration application and return it to the secretary of state’s office. If you do not have a valid Georgia driver’s license or state identification card, you must provide the last four digits of your Social Security number or have the state provide you with a unique identification number.

• By phone: Call your county election office to request a voter registration application. Or call the elections division of the secretary of state’s office at 404-656-2871.  

• In person: Visit your county election office. Or you can register to vote when you renew or apply for your driver’s license at the Georgia Department of Driver Services. You can also pick up and submit a voter registration form at public libraries, public assistance and other government offices, military recruitment stations and colleges. 

Check your registration status on the secretary of state’s My Voter Page. Contact your county election office if you haven't receive a precinct card in the mail after submitting your application. A precinct card proves you’re registered to vote and tells you where to vote, but you’re not required to have it with you when you vote.

Same-day registration is not available in Georgia.

Any eligible registered Georgia voter can cast a ballot in the runoff. If you voted a party ballot in the primary, you can vote only in that party’s primary runoff.

No matter which ballot you choose, you will not be formally affiliated with any party.

Megan Varner/ Washington Post

Any eligible registered Georgia voter can request an absentee ballot. For the June 18 runoff, you may only request a ballot for the party you selected in the primary, or a nonpartisan ballot. The deadline to request a ballot is Friday, June 7, for the runoff and Friday, Oct. 25, for the general election.

• Online: Use the absentee ballot request portal on the secretary of state’s website to submit an absentee ballot application online. Or download a form and email it to your county election office. 

• By mail: Download and print an application from the secretary of state’s website and mail it to your county election office.  

• By phone: Call your county election office to request an application and mail, fax, email or hand-deliver it to your county election office. 

• In person: Download and print an application from the secretary of state’s website and take it to your county election office. 

Absentee ballot applications require a valid Georgia driver’s license or state ID card number, the last four digits of a Social Security number or other identifying documents outlined on the secretary of state’s website.

Certain voters — including military members and their families, those 65 and older and people with disabilities — can make a single request that absentee ballots be sent for every election this year, except special elections. Everyone else needs a separate request for each election and runoff.

Visit Georgia.gov for more information about absentee voting and to download the application.

Completed absentee ballots can be returned in person or by mail. Be sure to include your driver’s license or state ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number, on the outer envelope.

• In person: You, a family member or a person living in your household can hand-deliver your ballot to your county election office on Election Day, but make sure to get it there before the polls close.

• Drop box: Bring your ballot to a drop box in your county by the close of early voting: Friday, June 14, for the primary runoff and Friday, Nov. 1, for the general election. Check with your county election office for locations.

• By mail: Mail completed ballots to your county election office. Mail your ballot at least seven days before the election to help ensure it arrives by the time polls close on Election Day. Postage is required.

Use the secretary of state’s My Voter Page or Georgia BallotTrax to track your absentee ballot.

Early in-person voting, also called advanced voting, is available to all registered voters at any early voting location in your county.

For the runoff election, the start of early voting must begin as soon as possible after the primary, but no later than Monday, June 10. It ends on Friday, June 14. Check with your county election office for details.


For the general election, early voting runs from Tuesday, Oct. 15, through Friday, Nov. 1. Saturday voting will be offered on Oct. 19 and 26. Some counties may offer Sunday voting.

For voting times and locations, check with your county election office or visit My Voter Page or the secretary of state’s website.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can vote only at your assigned polling place on the day of the election. To find your polling location, check My Voter Page or contact your county election office. If you’re in line by 7 p.m., you’ll be allowed to vote.

You must show an acceptable form of photo identification, such as a Georgia driver’s license (even if it’s expired) or any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID. Find a full list of acceptable photo ID on the secretary of state’s website.

If you don’t have an acceptable form of photo identification, you can get a free voter ID card from the Department of Driver Services or any county election office.

Counties are required by law to provide accessible polling places.

Georgia’s voting system offers accessibility devices for people with disabilities, including audio ballots for visually impaired voters and booths for voters in wheelchairs.

If you need help voting in person, you can choose anyone to assist you except for your employer or union officer, a candidate on the ballot or a candidate’s immediate relative. If you registered as a voter with a disability, your absentee ballot may be returned by someone in your household or your caregiver.

If you’re 75 or older or have a disability and require assistance, you can vote at the next available booth without waiting in line.

Find more information about voting with a disability on the secretary of state’s website.

Key races:

• U.S. President
• U.S. House: all 14 seats
• State House: all 180 seats
• State Senate: all 56 seats
  

Find candidate information on the secretary of state’s website and view sample ballots on My Voter Page when they become available.

Editor’s note: This guide was originally published on Jan. 31, 2024. It has been updated with new information about voting in the 2024 elections.

Natalie Missakian covers federal and state policy and writes AARP’s Fighting for You Every Day blog. She previously worked as a reporter for the New Haven Register and daily newspapers in Ohio. She has also written for the AARP Bulletin, the Hartford Business Journal and other publications.

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