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Secretary Handel Reminds Citizens to Register to Vote for November 4 General Election
ATLANTA—Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel today reminded voters that the deadline to register to vote to be eligible to cast a ballot in the November 4, 2008 General Election is Monday, October 6, 2008.
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 18 years old by Election Day. 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 the deadline 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.
You can also 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.
From January 1, 2008 to September 30, 2008, 406,379 Georgians registered to vote. Comparatively, 371,932 Georgians registered to vote during the same time period in 2004.
Secretary Handel reminds Georgians that state law requires registered voters to show photo identification when voting in person. This photo identification requirement applies to the November 4 General Election and all future elections. When voting early by mail, photo identification is not required.
Voters casting ballots in person, either through early voting or on Election Day, will be required to show one of the following forms of acceptable photo ID when they vote:
A Georgia driver’s license, even if expired;
Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free Voter ID Card issued by your county registrar or Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS);
Valid U.S. passport;
Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;
Valid U.S. military photo ID; or
Valid tribal photo ID.
Voters who do not have a form of identification listed above are eligible to receive a free Georgia Voter ID from their county elections office or the Department of Driver Services. Voters who have questions are encouraged to call the Georgia Secretary of State’s Voter ID Hotline at (877) 725-9797 or visit our website at www.GaPhotoID.com.
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.
