ATLANTA, Ga. — The window to ask for a mail-in ballot in Georgia closed Friday, and state numbers show far fewer voters chose that route this year than in the last midterm.
Figures from the Georgia Secretary of State showed a little over 160,000 absentee ballot requests heading into the deadline. In the 2022 midterms, the total topped 285,000.
More than 74,000 of this year’s mail ballots had already come back, the state reported, and fewer than 570 had been turned away.
Voters who already hold a mail ballot still have time. Under state rules, a filled-out, signed ballot must be in the hands of the county registrar no later than 7 p.m. on Nov. 3, Election Day. It can be mailed, left in a county drop box or handed in at the registrar’s office, and voters can follow its status on the My Voter Page.
In-person early voting is carrying most of the load. More than 1.5 million Georgians had cast ballots by Friday afternoon, which is over a fifth of the state’s active voters. Advance in-person voting ends Oct. 30.
The ballot this fall includes one of Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats, all 14 congressional districts, every seat in the General Assembly, and the posts of agriculture, insurance and labor commissioner. Polling places run 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Election Day, and voters already in line at closing can still cast a ballot.
Voters who show up at the wrong precinct can be pointed to the right one, and after 5 p.m. those who cannot get there may sign an affidavit and vote a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot also applies when poll workers cannot confirm a voter’s identity or address, and it counts once the issue is cleared with the county registrars by the end of the following day. Problems at the polls can be reported to the Secretary of State at 877-725-9797 outside metro Atlanta or 404-656-2871 in the metro area.
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