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Georgia absentee and mail ballot guide
Georgia absentee ballot overview
Absentee ballots and mail ballots are the same thing, and the process for getting one is straight forward.
- Request your ballot by the deadline
- Receive your in ballot in the mail
- Return your ballot by the deadline
Georgia absentee deadlines
- Earliest day to apply: 78 days before Election Day
- Request deadline (online): 11 days before Election Day
- Request deadline (by mail): Received 11 days before Election Day
- Request deadline (in person): 11 days before Election Day
- Deadline to return your ballot (by mail): Received by Election Day
- Deadline to return your ballot (in person): Received by Election day
Georgia absentee ballot rules
Any registered Georgia voter can request an absentee ballot and vote by mail.
Georgia online ballot request (recommended)
- Visit the Georgia absentee ballot website.
- Fill out all of the required information.
- Hit save or submit when you are done.
- The deadline to apply online is: 11 days before Election Day.
Georgia by-mail ballot request
- Download the Georgia absentee ballot application.
- Fill out all of the required fields.
- Print the application.
- Sign and date your application. This is very important.
- Mail or hand-deliver your completed application directly to your local election office as soon as possible, but no later than the deadline.
- If it’s close to the deadline, call your local election office and see if they will let you submit your application via email or fax.
- The deadline to apply by mail is: Received 11 days before Election Day.
Georgia in-person ballot request
- Visit your local election office.
- Ask the clerk to give you an absentee ballot application.
- Fill out all of the required fields.
- Sign and date your application.
- The deadline to apply in person is: 11 days before Election Day.
After you receive your ballot
- Carefully read and follow the instructions, and fill out all required fields.
- Sign and date the outside envelope.
- Mail or hand-deliver your ballot to your local election office. You can also hand-deliver your ballot to a state-provided drop box. Please check with your local election office if your county has a drop box. You can use our Find Out Where To Vote tool to find an official drop box.
- If you mail your ballot, it must be received by Election Day.
- If you hand-deliver your ballot, it must be received by Election day.
- If you miss the deadline – or forget to sign the outside envelope – your vote will not be counted.
Georgia absentee ballot ID requirements
- ID required when requesting a mail-in ballot: * Online applications: you must provide your Georgia driver's license number or state ID number. * Paper applications: You must provide your Georgia driver's license or state ID number. If you do not have one, you can supply a photocopy of another type of valid ID.
- ID required when returning a mail-in ballot: You must include your Georgia drivers license number, state ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security Number. Additionally, your signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signature on your voter registration card to ensure they match. If you forget to sign the return envelope, your ballot might be rejected.
Local election office
Contact your local election office if you have questions.
Statewide election office
This is the statewide agency that is ultimately responsible for Georgia elections. You can contact them with questions, but your local election office will probably respond faster.
Elections Division Office of the Secretary of State 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Suite 802 Floyd West Tower Atlanta, GA 30334
External resources
- Georgia online voter registration
- Georgia online absentee ballot request
- Georgia voter status lookup
- Georgia absentee ballot tracker
- Georgia provisional ballot tracker
- Georgia polling place locator