By Paul Bolster and Lynne Bryant
In November, we will elect all our state officials and county commissioners. We will choose a governor. It is important that all eligible residents of our Porch Press neighborhoods are registered to vote and have an opportunity to vote. Paper registration applications are available at the East Atlanta Library or can be printed from the Fulton County Voter Registration site. Voter registration can be done online or on paper. Google “registertovote.sos.ga.gov/GAOLVR.” It is a simple form but you will also have to provide your driver’s license number or other identification. You do not need to upload an image of your driver’s license. If you know people who are not registered, give them the information and help them through the process. Once you complete the form, it will save time to send it directly to your county registration office.
It is important to be registered in the precinct of your current address. If you have a new address you cannot vote at your old precinct. More votes coming from our neighborhoods increases the attention from elected officials. Don’t wait till the last minute to get registered or change your address. To register you must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the county, 17.5 years of age (18 to vote), and not serving a felony sentence involving moral turpitude or found mentally incompetent by a judge.
There are some changes in Georgia’s voting laws that may make it difficult for some people to cast their vote. Drop boxes are now only available at early voting sites. They are inside and only usable during the hours of early voting. No one is allowed to collect a ballot and bring it to the drop box for the voter. That means a person who is home bound and unable to go to a polling place to early vote or on elections day will need to use the absentee voting process.
By the time you read this, you will be able to apply for an absentee ballot (78 days prior to the election on November 8). The last day you can apply is 11 days prior to the election. You will need to attach and image of your driver’s license or alternative identification that matches the registration identification. Don’t wait till then because the ballot must be in the hands of the County Board of Election by Election Day and NOT JUST POSTMARKED ON ELECTION DAY. Absentee ballot applications can be submitted at the locations below.
Dekalb County (East of Moreland Avenue)
Office of Voter Registration and Elections
4380 Memorial Drive
Decatur, Georgia 30032-1239
In person, M-F 8am-4:30pm
Fulton County (West of Moreland Avenue)
Fulton County Government Center – Voter Registration and Elections
130 Peachtree Street SW Suite 2186
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Note that Fulton also has Service Center locations in South Fulton (College Park) and North Fulton (Sandy Springs).
