The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected the efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to put new restrictions on voting by mail in this year’s midterms.
The administration sought to require states to adopt a special, uniform envelope style for absentee ballots and run names of eligible voters through an online portal before the U.S. Postal Service would deliver them. The court rejected that plan for the coming election.
The Supreme Court order comes just as Georgia is sending out absentee ballots to overseas and military voters.
Here’s what Georgia voters need to know.
You can vote by mail in Georgia
Georgia is a “no excuse” state for absentee voting, meaning you don’t have to provide a reason to get an absentee ballot.
Georgia is one of 29 states with no-excuse voting by mail, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Another eight states and Washington, D.C., conduct elections primarily by mail, meaning all eligible voters are sent a ballot.
You must be registered to vote and have a government-issued ID to cast an absentee ballot.
How to get an absentee ballot
In Georgia, absentee ballots are available by request only.
The Georgia Secretary of State’s office has an online portal where voters can fill out and submit an electronic application or print one to complete manually. Ballot requests must be signed by the voter or someone authorized to sign on the voter’s behalf.
Be sure to read all instructions on the application.
The completed and signed paper application must be delivered to the voter’s county elections office, either by mail, email, fax or dropped off in person, at least 11 days before an election.
Once received and processed, the county office will send an absentee ballot through the mail. For the general election, absentee ballots are mailed to voters starting 29 days before the election through the Friday before Election Day.
How to check if your ballot was received
To be counted, your county elections office must receive your ballot by the time polls close on Election Day. Voters can send their ballots through the mail, return them to their county elections office or drop them off at an official ballot drop box location.
If sending your ballot through the mail, don’t forget a stamp and don’t wait until the last minute, as delivery times vary.
To see if your ballot was received and check on its status, go to the secretary of state’s My Voter Page, log in with your personal information and select “Absentee Ballot Request Information.”
If election officials reject your ballot, they will contact you to fix the problem. Be sure to sign your ballot and follow all instructions.
More information
The secretary of state’s office has more information about absentee voting.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
