Early voting begins in Georgia under new electoral law
Monday is the first day of early voting, and Georgians will head to the polls with new laws that come into effect following Democrat victories in the state’s 2020 presidential and senate elections.
ATLANTA – Georgians will head to the polls on Monday to cast their ballots when early voting begins for the upcoming midterm elections.
Monday is the first day of early voting, and this year Georgians are going to the polls under a new law passed by the Republican-led legislature after the party’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
Georgia’s 98-page bill included dozens of changes to state electoral law. These include shortening the deadline for applying for postal voting, reversing the pandemic-related expansion of the ballot box and reducing early voting before run-off elections.
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The law also made it an offense to give out food or drink to voters who are waiting in line and restricts voters’ ability to cast a provisional ballot if they go to the wrong precinct. It also allows any Georgia voter to challenge the eligibility of an unlimited number of other voters within the same county.
The state had argued that the water and refreshment ban was necessary to protect against illegal campaigning or vote-buying. Prosecutors also argued that it was too close to the upcoming election to make any changes.
A man casts his ballot at a primary voting site at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds on October 24, 2020 in Lawrenceville, Georgia. (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
More than 4 million people could vote in the state elections this year, and if past patterns hold, more than half are likely to vote before Election Day. Almost 2.7 million Georgians voted early in the 2020 general election.
There is at least 17 days of early voting, beginning on the Monday that is 22 days before Election Day and continuing until the Friday before an election.
The law requires counties to have at least two Saturdays for early voting, with the option to also offer voting on Sundays.
Previously, in Georgia, ID was required to vote in person, but not to vote by post. The new law requires those requesting and returning ballots in the mail to also provide a driver’s license number or state ID number. If the voter does not have one, they can submit a photocopy of another ID.
Another change: If a voter goes to the wrong district in their county before 5:00 p.m., poll officials should direct that person to the correct district instead of directing the voter to cast a provisional ballot.
Voters in Georgia can already send ballots in the mail, with more than 1,000 arriving in the mail by Friday. More than 200,000 people have already applied for absentee ballots, with an October 28 deadline to request them.
Early voting in the state ends on November 4 with Election Day set for Tuesday, November 8.
Early voting does not require voters to vote at an assigned polling station in their county. You can find all available early voting locations by visiting the Georgia Secretary of State website and selecting your county.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
