Question vs Answer
- Reality Team
- December 20, 2020
Voters can use “Provisional” ballots to vote if one (or more) of these issues comes up:
- You don’t have the right ID when you get to the polls.
- You registered to vote by mail without an ID, and this is the first time you are voting since then.
- You don’t appear on the registered voter list when you think you should.
- You arrive to vote after 7:01 pm on Jan 5th, and the voting place has remained open late.
You can’t be turned away from the polls for these reasons – you have the right to cast a provisional ballot.
A provisional ballot only gets counted as a vote if you fix the issue within THREE days.
That means that if you need an ID, you’ll need to present an acceptable ID to the county registrar’s office for your vote to count.
If you were mistakenly left off the registered voter list, the county registrar has THREE days to verify your status.
If the issue can’t be resolved within three days, or you fail to present any requested information to the county registrar, the vote will not be counted.
For more info, check our references below, and the Georgia Secretary of State website.
References
Ballotpedia. Election governance in Georgia. Provisional ballot rules.
Georgia Secretary of State, “Georgia Voter Information Guide”.
NCSL. National Conference of State Legislatures. Provisional Ballots
Department of Georgia Driver Services. Voter ID
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