Voter Qualifications and Registration

Register

If you meet the following qualifications, you may register to vote:

• A citizen of the United States
• A legal resident of Georgia and the county in which you wish to vote
• At least 18 years of age by election day

You may not register to vote if you are currently:

• Serving any sentence imposed by the conviction of a felony
• Judicially determined to be mentally incompetent

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. The application must be postmarked by the voter registration deadline. However, you must register or make changes to your registration by the stated deadline.

• Voting Deadlines and Election Dates

Clayton County residents may register to vote at any of the county library locations, or any of the city halls located throughout the county during normal business hours. Residents may also choose to submit their registration by mail. If you are registering for the first time in Georgia, please be sure to include a copy of proper identification.

Mail your completed voter registration application to the following address:

Board of Elections and Registration
Jonesboro Historical Courthouse – Main Floor
121 South McDonough Street, Jonesboro, GA 30236

Once your application has been approved, your precinct card will be mailed to you.

Identification

PHOTO ID – Beginning with the September 18, 2007 election, voters are required to provide one of the six (6) forms of photo identification for in-person voting:

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. Voters are required to present identification at their polling place prior to casting their ballot.

Proper identification shall consist of any one of the following:

1. A Georgia driver’s license;
2. Any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID, including a FREE Voter ID card issued by the county registrar’s office of the Department of Driver Services (DDS);
3. A valid United States passport;
4. A valid employee photo identification card containing a photo of the elector and issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the United States government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;Acceptable Student ID: College, University, Technical College
5. A valid United States military identification card, provided that such identification card contains a photograph of the elector; or
6. A valid tribal photo identification card containing a photograph of the elector.

NOTE: If a person votes BY MAIL, they DO NOT need to provide a photo ID. The photo ID rules ONLY APPLY to IN-PERSON voting by absentee, advance voting or at the polling place on Election Day.

FREE Georgia Voter Identification Card

If a voter does not have a Georgia driver’s license, or other qualified ID, they can obtain either a FREE Georgia Identification Card from the Department of Driver Services or a FREE Georgia Voter Identification Card at their county registrar’s office.

Clayton County registered voters who do not have one of the six (6) state approved identification cards for voting, may come to the Elections and Registration office, located at 121 S. McDonough Street, (Historical Courthouse) Jonesboro, Georgia to obtain a free Voter ID card. ID cards will be issued Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

In order to get a FREE Georgia Voter Identification Card, a voter will need to provide the following:

1. A photo identity document, or a non-photo identity document (must include voter’s full legal name and date of birth); and
2. Documentation showing voter’s date of birth; and
3. Evidence that voter is registered to vote in Georgia; and
4. Documentation showing voter’s name and address of principal resident.

If the elector does not have any of the forms of identification listed, they may vote a provisional ballot upon swearing or affirming that the elector is the person identified in the elector’s voter certificate.  Such provisional ballot shall only be counted if the registrars are able to verify current and valid identification of the elector within the time period for verifying provisional ballots.

There will no longer be absentee voting the Monday before Elections.

For additional information, please visit the Secretary of State’s website at http://sos.ga.gov or call the Elections Division at (404) 656-2871.