This office is responsible for voter registration for Hall County and all municipalities in the county. In addition, this office qualifies candidates seeking election, arranges for the printing of ballots and programming the vote tabulator, coordinates all poll workers and supplies used at the polls and polling locations, as well as consolidation of election results.

The Hall County Elections office is located at 2285 Browns Bridge Road, at the intersection of Browns Bridge and Skelton roads, in Gainesville. [pop-up map]

Voter Qualifications  Voter Registration  Change of Residence

Voting Procedures  FAQ's  Absentee Voting

2008 Election Dates and
Voter Registration Deadlines

Voter Qualifications

To register to vote in the state of Georgia, you must be:

1. A citizen of the United States

2. A legal resident of Georgia and of the county in which you wish to vote.

3. At least 18 years of age by election day.

Also, you may not register to vote if you are currently:

1. Serving any sentence imposed by the conviction of a felony.

2. Judicially determined to be mentally incompetent.

In the state of Georgia, you do not have to register by political party to vote in the state's regular primaries or general elections.

You may register to vote at any time, but you must be registered by the close of registration prior to an election if you wish to vote on election day, i.e., the application must be postmarked by the voter registration deadline. If you are not registered to vote, register today.

If you are registering for the first time in Georgia, and you register by mail, you are required to show one of the 17 acceptable types of identification by:

• mailing a copy of the identification with your voter registration application
• providing a copy of the identification to the registrar during the absentee voting process, or
• by showing one of the 17 pieces of acceptable identification when voting at the polling place.

Georgia citizens have access to several convenient methods of registering to vote:

• Download and complete a voter registration application.
• Contact your local county board of registrars' office or election office, public library, public assistance office, recruitment office, school or other government offices for a mail-in registration form.
• E-mail your request for a voter registration form, or write us at Office of the Secretary of State, Elections Division, Suite 1104 West Tower, 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30334-1505. Please include your name and mailing address.
• "Motor Voter" registration is offered when you renew or apply for your driver's license at Department of Motor Vehicle Safety drivers license posts.
• College students can obtain Georgia voter registration forms, or the necessary forms to register in any state in the U.S., from their school registrar's office or from the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Voters are required to notify the board of registrars of their county of residence whenever they move.

If you move within the same county in which you are registered to vote and don't notify the registrar at least 30 days prior to an election, you may vote in your old polling place for that election. You must file a notice of your new address. This can be done by writing your county board of registrars' office, or by submitting a new voter registration application.

If you move outside the county in which you are registered to vote within 30 days of an election, you may vote in your old precinct for that election.

If you move outside the county in which you are registered to vote in excess of 30 days prior to an election, you have lost your eligibility to vote in the county of your old residence. You must register to vote in your new county of residence. If you don't register to vote by the deadline, you cannot vote in that particular election.

Who will get my vote?

Each fall, Georgians vote on a variety of different elected positions:

2006 - 13 U.S. Representative seats, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State School Superintendent, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Labor

What is a registrars, primary, poll, etc.?

Please reference the Georgia Election Code for details regarding the electoral process in our state.

When do I vote?

Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on each election day. However, any voter who is waiting to vote at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Where do I vote?

Each voter must vote at the polling place designated for the precinct in which the voter lives - the location of your polling place is located on your precinct card. If you have misplaced your card or do not know where your precinct is located, please use our poll locator.

Why should I vote?

Your vote is your voice in the governance of your city, county, state and country. As a citizen, you declare your rights and privileges with your vote. Contrary to popular belief, one vote - your vote - does makes a difference.

How do I vote?

When you arrive at your polling place, you will complete a voter's certificate which asks for your name and residence address. You will then present the certificate and proper identification to the poll officials who will verify that you are a registered voter in that precinct by checking the voters list for that precinct. If your name is found on the list, you will be issued a a voter access card and admitted into a voting booth to cast your vote. You will then cast your ballot using an electronic voting unit. After you cast your ballot the machine will automatically eject the voter access card and you will return the card to a poll official. Instructions on how to operate the electronic voting unit are posted at each polling place and you may ask a poll official for assistance. You may also reference www.georgiacounts.com for additional information, or review the procedure available from the Georgia Secretary of State's office below.

View a virtual demonstration of electronic voting

Are sample ballots available prior to the election?

Yes. Sample ballots are available through your county or municipal registrar's office. Voters are authorized to carry a sample ballot or list of selected candidates with them to the polls to aid them in voting their ballot. You may not share the sample ballot or candidate list with other voters at the polls, but you may use it for your benefit.

When is the best time to go to the polls to avoid having to wait in long lines?

Peak voting hours appear to be from 7 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 pm, and during the mid-day lunch hour.

Is my employer required to grant me time off to vote?

Yes. Georgia law requires employers to grant their workers up to two hours to vote on the day of an election. However, the employer is authorized to specify the hours which an employee may use. This provision does not apply to employees whose hours of work begin at least two hours after the polls open or end at least two hours before the polls close. There is no obligation for an employer to pay the employee for the time taken to vote.

Am I required to show identification when I vote?

Georgia law (O.C.G.A § 21-2-417) requires Georgia residents to show photo identification when voting in person. Proper identification shall consist of any one of the following:

(1) Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a FREE Voter ID Card issued by the Hall County Registrar's Office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS);

(2) A Georgia Driver's License, even if expired;

(3) 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;

(4) Valid U.S. passport ID;

(5) Valid U.S. military photo ID;

(6) Valid tribal photo ID;

Note: You are not required to include any identification when you vote absentee by mail.

Note: The precinct card you receive to confirm your voter registration and voting location is not a form of identification and is not sufficient identification to vote.

What happens if I don't have any identification with me at the polling place?

If an elector is unable to produce any of the required identification, the elector shall sign a statement under oath in a form approved by the Secretary of State, separate and distinct from the elector's voter certificate, swearing or affirming that he or she is the person identified on the elector's voter certificate. Such person shall be allowed to vote without undue delay. Falsely swearing or affirming such statement under oath is punishable as a felony.

Notice: If you are registered for the first-time by mail and you have not yet provided identification to the registrar and are unable to produce acceptable identification at the polling place, you will be required to cast a provisional ballot. You are not allowed to sign the affidavit in place of acceptable identification. Pursuant to O.C.G.A. 21-2-417, the provisional ballot shall only be counted if the registrar is able to verify the identification and registration of the elector not later than two days after the election.

May I receive assistance in casting my ballot?

A voter may receive assistance at the polls if they are unable to read the English language or if he or she has a physical disability that renders them unable to see or mark the ballot, operate the voting equipment, or enter the voting booth. In order to do so, everyone, except those that are blind, must take an oath showing the reason they need assistance. The person providing the assistance to the voter must sign on the oath. When there is a federal candidate on the ballot, the voter can select anyone they want to assist them in voting, except for the voter's employer, an agent of that employer, or an officer or agent of the voter's union. When there is no federal candidate on the ballot, the voter can select any other resident of the precinct or a parent, sibling, spouse or child to assist them inside the voting booth. No person may assist more than ten voters in a primary, election, or runoff.

Note: Between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on the day of an election, voters who are 75 years of age or older or who are physically disabled may, upon request to a poll officer, vote immediately without waiting in line.

May I take my child to the polls with me?

Children under the age of 18 may accompany a parent into the voting booth. However, they may not be disruptive or interfere with the voting process, vote the ballot or operate any function of a vote recorder or voting machine.

Can I wear a campaign button into the polling place?

No person may campaign; distribute literature of written or printed matter of any kind; wear campaign buttons, signs, pins, stickers, T-shirts, etc.; circulate petitions; or perform similar activities within 150 feet of the building in which a polling place is located.

1. You may vote by absentee ballot if:

2. You will be absent from your precinct from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on election day.

3. You are 75 years of age or older.

4. You have a physical disability which prevents you from voting in person or you are a constant caregiver of a person with a disability.

5. You are an election official.

5. You are observing a religious holiday which prevents you from voting in person.

6. You are required to remain on duty in your precinct for the protection of life, health, or safety of the public.

7. An elector may cast an absentee ballot in person at the registrar's office during the period of Monday through Friday of the week immediately preceding the date of the primary, election, or run-off primary or election without having to provide a reason.

How do I apply for an absentee ballot?

You may request an absentee ballot as early as 180 days before an election. Absentee ballots must be signed and received by the county board of registrars' office on or before election day - no absentee ballots are issued on election day. You may download an absentee ballot application and mail it or fax it to your county board of registrars' office. The application must be in writing and must contain the address to which the ballot is to be mailed, the reason for voting by absentee ballot, sufficient information to identify you as a voter, and the election in which you wish to vote. If you are physically disabled or living temporarily outside your county of residence, a close relative may apply for an absentee ballot for you.

Applications for absentee ballots by uniformed or overseas voters can be accepted more than 180 days prior to a primary or election in which a federal candidate appears on the ballot as well as for any runoffs resulting therefrom including presidential preference primaries for two general elections.

May I receive assistance with my absentee ballot?

A physically disabled or illiterate voter may receive assistance from another voter in the same county or municipality or from the same category of relatives who can make an application for or deliver an absentee ballot. If the voter is outside of the county or municipality, then a notary public can provide such assistance. Any person who assists another person to vote absentee must complete an oath prescribed by law demonstrating the statutory disability and that the ballot was completed as the voter desired. No person may assist more than ten voters in a primary, election, or runoff.

Are there any restrictions regarding attachments to the Absentee Ballot application?

An application for an absentee ballot cannot be physically attached to a publication that advocates for or against a particular candidate, issue, etc., and distributed by any person, entity, or organization.

Director of Elections
Charlotte Sosebee-Hunter Interim Director  770.531.6945  770.531.3931  Email  Media Resource	2285 Browns Bridge Rd. P.O. Drawer 1435 Gainesville, GA 30503