Voting by mail?
Voting absentee (which means the same as “voting by mail) is a safe and secure way to vote in the 2021 Georgia elections. It can be a confusing process to navigate but we’re here to help you! Scroll down to get started or use the quick links below to jump to specific sections of this page.
Request a ballot
Filling it out
Track your ballot
Vote by mail FAQs
Voters will not be automatically receiving an absentee ballot in the mail for the November 2021 statewide elections. However, any registered voter can use this option by submitting an application for an absentee ballot. You can either fill it out digitally and email it back to your county’s elections office or print it out and mail it via USPS. Log onto My Voter Page to make sure you have the correct email and mail addresses to do so.
Follow these steps to make sure your ballot gets counted!
1. Fill it out real good
Make sure to use a black or blue pen and fill in the bubble next to your candidate of choice. Do not mark your choices with a checkmark, X, smiley face, or anything other than a filled-in oval. Not sure what each position on the ballot means? Visit our Ballot Breakdown page to learn more! We also recommend researching candidates using non-partisan websites such as www.ballotpedia.org and www.branch.vote.
2. Use both envelopes and sign the outside
According to Fulton County Elections officials, the only reason a mail-in ballot would be rejected is if:
The ballot is “naked”, meaning, it was not placed in the privacy envelope that goes into the yellow external envelope or
If the ballot has NO signature at all (on the outside of the yellow envelope). If you’ve gotten this far, try not to screw it up by forgetting to sign the outside of the envelope!
3. Bring it to your closest drop box
If you have access to transportation to bring your completed ballot to a secure drop box, this is the quickest way to get your ballot back to the county election office. No postage is necessary on ballots placed in the drop boxes! Use the interactive maps below to locate the nearest ballot box in your county!
Please note that there have been changes to the ballot drop box access for 2021: absentee drop boxes are now located INSIDE early voting locations from October 12-29, during your county’s operating hours (listed under each map below).
Note: these custom maps works best if you are on a desktop computer. If you are on a mobile device, try clicking on “Open in Google Maps” button to launch the map in a new window (we have found this to cause less issues).
Fulton County drop boxes are open from October 12-29, 9am-6pm daily (including weekends).
DeKalb County drop boxes are open from October 12-29: weekdays from 7am-7pm, Saturdays (10/16, 10/23) from 9am-6pm and on Sundays (10/17, 10/24) from 12-5pm.
Cobb County drop boxes are open from October 12-29: weekdays from 7am-7pm and on Saturdays (10/16, 10/23), from 9am-5pm.
(OR) 3. Stick it in the mailbox
Based on the November election feedback from voters, ballots took anywhere from 6-15 days to get from your mailbox to Fulton and DeKalb county elections offices. For the November Georgia elections, we recommend mailing your ballot no later than Monday, October 18. What we highly encourage is bringing your ballot to a secure drop box within your county before 7pm on November 2nd. That way, you don’t need to worry if your ballot was lost or undelivered (mail-persons are people who make mistakes, too!).
4. Track your ballot’s arrival and acceptance
Once it's been a few days since you've mailed or dropped off your ballot, visit your voter page at mvp.sos.ga.gov to confirm that it has been received. Scroll down to read more about tracking your completed ballot.
Track the status of your ballot
If you’ve filled out and returned an absentee ballot (either by secure drop box or via USPS), you can track the status of your ballot by going to mvp.sos.ga.gov. Simply sign in using your name, DOB, and county. On the main page, there is box in the bottom left that says "Absentee Ballot Request Information". Within that box, click on the link that says "Click here for Absentee Ballot/Early Voting status" to know when your ballot has been received by your county’s election office and if it has been accepted or rejected.
Have questions?
Not sure whether you should vote by mail or vote in person? Have you recently moved and have questions about updating your voter registration details? You can find the answers to these questions and more in our Voter FAQs by clicking on the button below! If you have a question that we haven’t covered, shoot us an email at questions@georgia55.org.
Donate
If you found our resources useful, consider donating to us! We are four millennial womxn organizers that operate the Georgia 55 Project in our spare time. 100% of your donation goes to voting materials and supplies for line-warming efforts. Click to donate on Venmo below or find us on CashApp ($georgia55project) or PayPal at paypal.me/georgia55project.