{"id":287,"date":"2026-10-19T02:11:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T02:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/?page_id=287"},"modified":"2026-10-19T16:25:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T16:25:49","slug":"what-to-know-when-voting","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/?page_id=287","title":{"rendered":"What to know when voting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The purpose of this post is to provide helpful tips and reminders, whether or not you are a new voter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Time till polls close.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-countdown\" data-src=\"visualisation\/30298576\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/30298576\/thumbnail\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"countdown visualization\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Polling times and locations.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can vote on Election Day (Tuesday, November 3, 2026) between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM. If you are in line by the time polls close at 7:00 PM, you can still vote; they just can&#8217;t allow anybody to join the line at that point. You may only vote at your designated polling place on Election Day. To find where it is, <em><strong>go to <a href=\"https:\/\/mvp.sos.ga.gov\">My Voter Page<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early voting will run between 13 October and 30 October. Voting is available every weekday from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, on Saturdays in all counties and Sundays in some counties (see below). Weekend polling times vary by county, so check your My Voter Page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1007\" src=\"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-1024x1007.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-1024x1007.png 1024w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-300x295.png 300w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-768x755.png 768w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-1536x1511.png 1536w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-2048x2014.png 2048w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-305x300.png 305w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-48x48.png 48w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-250x246.png 250w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-550x541.png 550w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-800x787.png 800w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-183x180.png 183w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sunday-508x500.png 508w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Polling locations for early voting are different from polling places for Election Day.<\/em><\/strong> Make sure you click &#8220;Early Voting Polling Locations&#8221; on My Voter Page; it will even sort them by distance to your house for you. For early voting, you can vote at any early polling location in your county, not necessarily the one closest to your house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are within the corporate limits of a city (meaning you pay city taxes) you may also have municipal elections to vote in. In some municipalities, especially those in Gwinnett County, you may need to go to a different polling place to vote in those elections. You also won&#8217;t find any information on municipal elections on your sample ballot, so you should check with your city&#8217;s website to see if there are any elections this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"353\" src=\"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-1024x353.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-1024x353.png 1024w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-300x103.png 300w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-768x265.png 768w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-1536x529.png 1536w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-500x172.png 500w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-250x86.png 250w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-550x190.png 550w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-800x276.png 800w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-522x180.png 522w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-870x300.png 870w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23-1451x500.png 1451w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-22-23.png 2022w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. How to find out what you are going to vote on.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mvp.sos.ga.gov\">My Voter Page<\/a><\/strong> you will find your sample ballot, which shows you all the races you can vote in. There are many of them (20 in my case), so it is best to fill it out beforehand to make sure you are prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>You <\/em><\/strong><em><strong>CANNOT <\/strong><\/em><strong><em>bring your phone with you into the voting booth. If you need a cheat sheet to help you remember who you want to vote for, you will need to print off your sample ballot or write it down on paper.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"894\" height=\"866\" src=\"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-33-46.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-292\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-33-46.png 894w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-33-46-300x291.png 300w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-33-46-768x744.png 768w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-33-46-310x300.png 310w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-33-46-250x242.png 250w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-33-46-550x533.png 550w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-33-46-800x775.png 800w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-33-46-186x180.png 186w, https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-From-2026-10-18-21-33-46-516x500.png 516w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 894px) 100vw, 894px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Absentee ballots.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can request an absentee ballot on My Voter Page. The deadline to request one is Friday, October 23, so make sure you do it soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mail-in ballots can either be mailed back to the county election&#8217;s office, or dropped in a ballot drop-box at an early voting location (see My Voter Page). Absentee ballots must be returned to the county election&#8217;s office by election day, otherwise they won&#8217;t be counted. If they arrive in the mail after 7:00 on November 3rd, it&#8217;s too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you vote absentee, but then decide to vote in person, you can do so, assuming your vote hasn&#8217;t been counted yet. If you have the opportunity to vote in person, it is safer to do so. You can check My Voter Page to see your absentee ballot status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Absentee voting is particularly important for students who dorm on college campuses. That&#8217;s because students do not vote in elections where the campus is situated, but wherever they last lived. The same applies to servicemembers stationed on military bases in Georgia, and they may even be registered in another state. Soldiers and officers stationed overseas also vote by mail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other interesting facts.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Write-in votes (votes for candidates that aren&#8217;t on the ballot) do count, but only if the person you are voting for has declared their intention to run. See <a href=\"https:\/\/sos.ga.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/forms\/2026%20Certified%20Write-In%20Candidates_3.pdf\">here<\/a> for a complete list of declared write-in candidates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While Georgia does have runoff elections, the rule is unlikely to be triggered this year. That&#8217;s because there are only two candidates on the ballot in most races, meaning someone is bound to clear the 50 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff. Write-in votes could technically force a runoff, this is unlikely because write-in candidates rarely get more than few thousand votes. It is possible though, especially if the election is extremely close. The reason there are only two candidates this time is that the Libertarian Party <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabe.org\/georgia-libertarians-end-efforts-to-get-on-2026-general-election-ballot\/\">failed to get enough signatures to get on the ballot<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Candidate parties are labeled on the ballot for all partisan races. There is a rumor going around that party labels will be removed from the ballot this year to benefit Republicans: no decision to that effect has been made. The state legislature did pass a law last year moving some local races to nonpartisan elections (only in metro Atlanta counties, where the elected officials are predominantly Democratic and Black), but this neither impacts the current election cycle or applies to statewide races. Incumbent candidates (current office holders) are also labelled on the ballot. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Voters not proficient in English, as well as voters with visual impairments, may bring a translator or helper with them.<\/strong> That person will need to identify themselves to the election officials at the check-in desk. Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, some jurisdictions are required to have bilingual ballots if they have significant minority language populations. In Georgia, this applies to only one county: Gwinnett, where Spanish language ballots are required. In practice, localities go above and beyond their legal requirements, providing multilingual resources in many languages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Candidates do not appear in alphabetical order. Instead, Republicans always go first. That&#8217;s because Republicans won the most votes in the most recent gubernatorial election (2022).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can skip races on your ballot if you don&#8217;t like any of the candidates. This won&#8217;t invalidate your vote in the other races. However, you should at least do research on all candidates, as there are crucially important races all the way down to the bottom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is a crime in Georgia to:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>intimidate voters into voting, or not voting, for a particular candidate, or to cast a ballot at all (O.C.G.A. \u00a7 21-2-567)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>force someone to disclose who they voted for (O.C.G.A. \u00a7 21-2-568)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>try to vote more than once (O.C.G.A. \u00a7 21-2-572)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>vote if you are not qualified (O.C.G.A. \u00a7 21-2-571)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>receive (or give) money or gifts in exchange for your vote (O.C.G.A. \u00a7 21-2-570)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Although it&#8217;s rare, there are some races in which you are allowed to vote for more than one candidate. This will be indicated on the ballot: make sure to read the instructions carefully.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Voters who are 75 years of age or older or who are disabled and require assistance voting can skip the line, upon request to a poll officer (O.C.G.A. \u00a7 21-2-410).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>By law, employees must be given time off work to go and vote.<\/strong> The window can be either during early voting hours or on election day. Your employer may designate the hours,but they have to be during polling hours. They can limit you to two hours, and it&#8217;s not paid (O.C.G.A. \u00a7 21-2-404).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A new rule imposed by the State Election Board requires the election officials to mark your name off of a physical list on their desk when you sign in. This is entirely pointless (there is a digital database they automatically enter you into when you give them your ID, but the State Election Board likes to make life difficult. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Speaking of voter ID, you must have a government-issued photo ID to bring with you to the polling place. The most common way to satisfy this requirement is to bring your driver&#8217;s license, but you can also bring a U.S. passport, voter identification card, or a student ID from a <strong>public university<\/strong>. You can also bring a military ID or a gun license (because why not?). Your driver&#8217;s license is valid for this purpose even if it is expired, but it must be a Georgia-issued license. <a href=\"https:\/\/dds.georgia.gov\/georgia-licenses-ids-and-permits\/new-license-id-or-permit\/voter\">Source<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The purpose of this post is to provide helpful tips and reminders, whether or not you are a new voter. Time till polls close. 1. Polling times and locations. You can vote on Election Day (Tuesday, November 3, 2026) between &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/?page_id=287\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":279,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"","bgseo_robots_follow":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-287","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=287"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":303,"href":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/287\/revisions\/303"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dawieboers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}