Secretary of State Handel Joins NASS in Declaring September 2008 National Voter Registration Month

Reminds Voters of October 6, 2008 Voter Registration Deadline

Atlanta—Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel today joined fellow members of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) in declaring September 2008 National Voter Registration Month. Secretary Handel is working with Georgia’s local election administrators to make the state’s eligible voters aware of registration deadlines and requirements for this year’s General Election.

Secretary Handel serves as Vice-President of the Southern U.S. Region for NASS, which represents chief state election officials in 39 states.

“Citizens across Georgia and the nation are taking a special interest in the upcoming General Election,” Secretary Handel said. “I encourage all eligible Georgia citizens to register to vote and cast a ballot in this important election.”

To register to vote in Georgia, you must be a citizen of the United States, a legal resident of Georgia and of the county in which you plan to vote, and at least 17 ½ years old. You may not register to vote if you are currently serving any sentence imposed by the conviction of a felony or judicially determined to be mentally incompetent.

Citizens who are not registered to vote in the county in which they reside must submit a voter registration application by Monday, October 6, 2008 in order to vote in the General Election. Citizens who are registered to vote at a former address within the county where they reside are encouraged to submit a change of address card to their county registrar. Voters who are currently registered at the correct address do not need to submit a new voter registration application.

Georgia voters can verify their registration status at the Secretary of State’s Election Center website: http://sos.georgia.gov/ElectionCenter.

You can contact your local county registrars’ office, public library, public assistance office, recruitment office, schools, and other government offices for a mail-in registration form. Voter registration is offered when renewing or applying for a driver’s license at any Georgia Department of Driver Services office. College students can obtain Georgia voter registration forms from their school registrar’s office or from the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Secretary Handel encourages any individual or members of an organization conducting a voter registration drive to become deputy registrars. Deputy registrars receive comprehensive training on voter registration procedures, and applicants who return a completed voter registration form to a deputy registrar are considered as having applied on that date. For more information, please contact your county registrars’ office. Contact information is available at the Secretary of State’s Election Center website: http://www.sos.georgia.gov/ElectionCenter.

NASS established National Voter Registration Month to encourage voter participation and to increase awareness of state voter registration requirements and deadlines.

Karen Handel was sworn in as Secretary of State in January 2007. The Secretary of State's office offers important services to our citizens and our business community. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives and the Capitol Museum.