Dropping off your absentee ballot on Election Day? Here’s what to know in Georgia
Election Day is here, and there’s still time to drop off your absentee ballot if you haven’t already.
Georgia saw record-breaking early voting ahead of Tuesday’s election with over 1.2 million absentee ballots cast by the end of October, according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office.
Thousands more Georgians are expected to cast their votes Tuesday whether it’s in person, at a ballot drop box or county elections office. Whatever you choose, there are a few things to know before you go.
First, to ensure your vote is counted, absentee and mail-in ballots must be placed in a designated drop box in the voter’s home county or returned to the county elections office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day. Many Georgia counties, with the exception of a few, have made ballot drop boxes available to voters.
DeKalb County, just outside Atlanta, recently added nine additional drop off locations to keep up with the record voter turnout the county has seen this year.
“We know there are a number of outstanding absentee ballots still out and some voters may be weighing their options on voting in-person on Election Day or dropping their absentee ballots in a drop box,” DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections Director Erica Hamilton said in a statement, according to 11Alive. “These additional drop box locations greatly expand our voters’ options to safely and securely cast their ballot.”
Voters should also double-check that their ballot is signed before dropping it in a ballot box.
If physically unable to get to a drop box or county elections office, voters with disabilities may designate a spouse, sibling or other relative to return their voted absentee ballot in person to an elections clerk, according to the secretary of state’s office.
How to locate the nearest ballot box
To find your nearest ballot drop box, contact your county elections office or check out the list below. A full list of available drop boxes across Georgia can also be found here.
- Bibb County
- Muscogee County
- Fulton County
- Cobb County
- Cherokee County
- DeKalb County
- Gwinnett County
- Douglas County
- Paulding County
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Dropping off your absentee ballot on Election Day? Here’s what to know in Georgia."