FAQs

Is my employer required to grant me time off to vote?: Yes, Georgia law requires employers to grant their workers up to 2 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 2 hours after the polls open or end at least 2 hours before the polls close. There is no obligation for an employer to pay the employee for the time taken to vote.

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Elections & Voting

1. 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. as well as 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 pm, and during the mid-day lunch hour. View the Voting Locations Map to find out where the voting precincts are located.

2. Is my employer required to grant me time off to vote?: Yes, Georgia law requires employers to grant their workers up to 2 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 2 hours after the polls open or end at least 2 hours before the polls close. There is no obligation for an employer to pay the employee for the time taken to vote.

3. Are sample ballots available prior to the election?: Yes. Sample Ballots are available through your county or municipal registrar's office, as well as the Secretary of State. 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.

4. 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 6 forms of identification at the time of voting, the elector shall vote a Provisional Ballot. Upon submitting a copy of the identification to the Elections and Registrars Office within 48 hours of voting, the ballot is counted. The elector will be notified by letter if the ballot is counted.

5. 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 10 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.

6. 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 nor may they vote the ballot or operate any function of a vote recorder or voting machine.

7. Can I wear a campaign button into the polling place?: No person may campaign (distribute literature of written or printed matter of any kind or 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.

8. Am I required to show identification when I vote?: When you vote in person, you must show identification. View the Voter ID Requirements page for more information.