I want to vote and I’m a student.

Do I have to register? Yes. You can’t vote if you aren’t registered.   

When do I register? You must be registered before October 5 if you want to vote in 2020 for the presidential election.  You CANNOT register once voting starts and you cannot register on Election Day.    CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION IN ADVANCE.  

Should I be registered at College? Register to vote where you reside– for some this may mean where your parents live or it may mean where you moved to college.  

Do I vote at home or on campus?  If you are voting in person at the polls, you must vote in the county where you are registered. A student who is registered at home but attends school in a different state or county may wish to receive an absentee ballot at school. Think about where you will be in October and early November, and decide whether voting in person or by mail is your best choice. 

Can I vote wherever I want? No.  You can vote in person in the county where you are registered, or you can vote by mail. KEEP IN MIND DEADLINES for vote-by-mail and early voting.    You cannot vote when or where you feel like.  PLAN.

How do I vote?  There are three ways to vote.  Get a ballot in the mail and send it back; in person during “EARLY VOTE” on a machine in the county where you are registered; or in person on ELECTION DAY on a machine in your precinct. 

What do I need to know about early voting?   If you are going to vote early in person, check to be sure you know the correct hours and the correct location. Your precinct location and the early vote locations are almost always different.  Check it out here.  

Do I need ID?  To vote in person at the polls, you need a photo ID – like a driver’s license, passport, your college ID if you are going to a public school in Georgia (BUT NOT IF YOU’RE GOING TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL) and it has your picture on it. 

Can I be hurt by registering or voting?  Registering and voting DOES NOT AFFECT your tuition, financial aid status, status as a dependent of your parents, your driver’s license or anything else.

I registered at a campus voter education drive. Did that work?  If you signed up at a voter registration drive on campus, take the time to check your registration.   

I Am A Naturalized Citizen.  How do I vote?

All citizens have equal voting rights.  This is true regardless of whether you were born into citizenship or had to apply for it. You can vote in any federal, state, or local election once you are registered. Read on to learn more of the details. 

Can naturalized citizens vote in every election a native-born citizen can vote in? Yes. But you must be registered!   To learn more about how to register, please click here.  

How do I vote?  There are several ways to vote – you can vote in person at your local polling location on election day but you can also vote on certain specific days in designated locations before election day and you can also vote through the mail.  To learn more about the different ways to vote please click here.  And remember, when you vote in person you will have to show identification.  Please click here for the acceptable forms of ID.  

Do I have to fully complete the naturalization process? Even if you are on track to become a fully naturalized citizen you cannot vote until you have been naturalized and you have registered to vote.  At most naturalization ceremonies there is someone there to register you.  If for some reason there was not, please register.  To learn more about registering to vote please go here.  To learn how to confirm that you are registered please go here.

Do I have to show that I am a citizen?  Generally, you should not have to show that you are a citizen but in certain circumstances, especially the first time you vote, you may have to provide evidence of your citizenship.  If you do have to show proof, any poll worker should be able to accept that proof.  You can show different things, including 

A naturalization certificate that you got at your naturalization ceremony;

Your U.S. passport;

A certificate of citizenship (for example, if you became a citizen when your parents became citizens); or 

Two affidavits, one signed by two citizens unrelated to the voter, stating how the voter is a citizen the other affidavit signed by the voter explaining why documents are not available. 

Please contact the voter protection hotline for assistance at 888-730-5816 if you need help securing the proper documents. 

The poll worker says I need to cast a provisional ballot because of being naturalized. Is that right?  Maybe. A provisional ballot is a paper ballot you mark with a pen.  A provisional ballot will count if you are properly registered and take certain additional steps the poll worker will notify you about.  Ask to vote on a regular ballot, but if you ultimately vote on a provisional ballot, be sure to take the steps they will tell you about to make your vote count.  And if you have this problem, please call the Voter Protection Hotline at 888-730-5816 and we will assist you.

I got a letter saying that my voter registration is pending because the information on my voter registration application is different from information in other public databases. Can I vote? Yes, if you show proof of identity you can vote in any of the accepted ways. Click here for acceptable forms of identification.

I’m a citizen, but I got a letter saying that the driver’s license office records show I’m not a citizen. Can I vote?  Yes. There may be errors in the driver’s license records or they may not have been updated to show your new status.  You can still vote after showing proof of identity and proof of citizenship. You can also vote by mail by showing proof of identity and citizenship when you request an absentee ballot.  Vote!

Is my vote secret? The law requires ballot secrecy. Polling stations are supposed to be set up to block anyone’s view of your voting machine screen. Vote by mail ballots are separated from the accompanying paperwork so your vote is kept secret. 

If I vote, does that mean I will be called for jury service? No.  As a citizen, you may be called for jury service but the fact you registered to vote or have voted does not make that more or less likely.  

Voting When Your First Language Isn’t English

Can I vote on a ballot in my native language? It depends. If you vote in Gwinnett County you will be able to vote on a Spanish language ballot if you choose.  Unfortunately, Gwinnett is the only Georgia county required by law to provide a Spanish language ballots and there is no place in Georgia that is required to provide a ballot in any other language.  

Can I bring someone into the booth with me to interpret the ballot for me?  Yes. If you need help with English, you can bring an interpreter of your choice to help you vote. The only people who cannot serve as an interpreter for you are your employer, a labor union official, a candidate on the ballot, or the family member of a candidate on the ballot.

The poll worker says I can only have an interpreter who is a close family member, a caretaker, or a voter registered in my precinct. Is that right? No. That used to be Georgia law, but that law was changed and now a voter may bring in an interpreter they choose, other than an employer, a labor union official, a candidate on the ballot, or the family member of a candidate on the ballot.

Can someone interpret the ballot for me while I’m waiting in line to vote?  No. Language assistance can only be provided in the voting booth. 

I’m an interpreter. The poll worker says I can only help 10 voters. Is that right? No. This used to be Georgia law, but that law was changed and now there is no limit on the number of voters an interpreter can help.

I was convicted of a felony.  How do I vote?

Once you are “off paper,” meaning you have completed the terms of your sentence (probation and/or parole), you are eligible to vote again. Chances are you will need to re-register to vote either because you will be living in a new place or because you have been taken off the voting rolls.  Here are the easy steps:

Check your registration.  To do that, check out the instructions here. Generally the voting superintendent will take a person convicted of a felony off of the rolls so do not be alarmed if you are not registered even though you voted in the past.  

Register. Unless you are still registered at the correct address, you will need to re-register.  To register to vote, take the steps outlined here.  

Will I have to prove I completed my sentence and paid my court and other costs?  No, you will not.  But in order to register to vote you must declare that you are not currently serving a felony sentence. 

I was convicted of a misdemeanor.  Does that restrict my right to vote?  No, it does not.  You are like any other voter.  

I am in the military or I am living overseas. How do I vote?

There are special rules with respect to federal elections that apply to people in the military and their family members and to citizens residing outside the United States. These special rules provide additional protections for you to register to vote and to vote when you are outside the country.  Here are the key special rules that can apply to you. 

Who is eligible for the special overseas voting rules?  If you are any of the following, these special rules apply to you: 

• member of the United States Uniformed Services and merchant marine;
• their family members; or
• United States citizen residing outside the United States.

What do these special rules do for me?   These rules give special rights regarding:  (1) how and when to register; (2) how to get an absentee ballot and mail it back; (3) how to get your registration or ballot electronically; (4) how to cast a write-in ballot in certain circumstances; (5) how to determine if you ballot has been received; and (6) how to deal with special issues such as the lack of a notary or use of nonstandard printing or envelopes.   These rules generally give you more rights and longer time-frames and make it easier to vote.  

What should I do if I have a question or need help voting and I think these rules apply to me? These rules are administered by the Federal Voting Assistance Program through the Department of Defense. Consult their website for detailed help.  https://www.fvap.gov.   Also, if you have a specific question you can contact them via email at vote@fvap.gov or through the U.S. toll free number 800-438-8683.  Another helpful website is https://www.democratsabroad.org/.

Voters with disabilities

People with physical disabilities, people needing assistance with translation or reading, and people 75 years of age or older are entitled to certain accommodations when voting.  Read more to see what may apply to you.   

Who can receive assistance?

Anyone who is unable to sign his or her name or is unable to see or mark the ballot, operate the voting machine, or enter the booth without assistance can receive assistance voting.  In addition, if you need help with English, you can bring an interpreter of your choice to help you vote.  

Who can give assistance?

Generally speaking, anyone can help you.  The only people who cannot help you are your employer, a labor union official, a candidate on the ballot, or the family member of a candidate on the ballot.  There are specific rules that vary to some extent with the type of election, but most other people can assist, though in certain circumstances that person must be identified and sign on your ballot.

What type of assistance is available?

Every polling location must have at least one location to vote while seated, such as in a wheelchair.  In addition, voters with disabilities should have the option of using a machine that provides different ways to cast ballots when you are visually impaired or blind that permit privacy, such as through an audio ballot where the voter can hear candidate names and questions through headphones.  In addition, all voting machines have a feature to magnify the size of the print on the ballot and every voting location should have a magnifying glass.   Finally, anyone who is 75 years of age or older or who has a disability and who comes to the polling location (between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm on election day) is not required to wait in line.  Just tell the poll worker that you want to move to the front of the line. 

Voters with a disability who prefer to vote by mail are also entitled to receive assistance.  They can receive assistance applying for an absentee ballot, completing the absentee ballot, and submitting the absentee ballot.