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]

Elections |
Voter Registration Deadline |
Election Date |
Presidential Preference Primary |
January 7, 2008 |
February 5, 2008 |
General Primary |
June 16, 2008 |
July 15, 2008 |
Primary Runoff* |
June 16, 2008 |
August 5, 2008 |
Special Election |
August 18, 2008 |
September 16, 2008 |
General Election |
October 6, 2008 |
November 4, 2008 |
General Election Runoff* |
October 6, 2008 |
December 2, 2008 |
*If Applicable

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, What, When, Where, Why, and How...
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.

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.
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)
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.

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

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