The 2024 presidential election has finally arrived in Georgia.
Polls open today for three weeks of in-person early voting leading up to the March 12 presidential primary to determine the Democratic and Republican nominees.
Both front-runners — Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump — are on their party’s primary ballot, along with 12 other candidates, including several who have dropped out of the race. Georgia’s political parties decided which candidates would appear on the ballot last year.
The primary races could be all but over by the time Georgia’s results are settled. Twenty-six states will finish their primaries before Georgia, including 16 “Super Tuesday” states on March 5.
Still, every vote cast will be counted, and nominees won’t be officially selected until the Republican and Democratic conventions this summer.
Georgia is an open primary state, meaning all voters are eligible to participate in either party’s primary regardless of their political affiliations or beliefs.
“I’m sure that everyone has been eagerly anticipating the 2024 elections, and with early voting starting, voters can now make their voices heard safely and securely,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said. “Voters can check their My Voter Page to verify their registration and precinct information, and begin participating in our safe, secure election process.”
How to vote
Voters can cast ballots in either party’s presidential primary, but not both.
Republican Party ballots list 11 candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Trump.
Three candidates are on the Democratic Party ballots: Biden, Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson.
Voters can find early voting locations, voting hours, sample ballots and registration information on Georgia’s My Voter Page at mvp.sos.ga.gov. Early voting locations are often different from election-day precincts.
Early voting is available for at least 17 days over three weeks across Georgia, including two Saturdays. Some counties are also opening voting sites on Sundays.
Most Georgia voters have cast their votes in advance of election day in recent elections, with 58% voting in person at early voting locations during the 2022 midterms. About 6% of voters returned absentee ballots, and the remaining 36% showed up on election day.
How to find your early voting information in your county.
Choose from the list below or visit the Georgia My Voter page. Some county pages below have information on current waiting times for voting.
•Cherokee County
•Clayton County
•Cobb County
•DeKalb County
•Douglas County
•Fayette County
•Forsyth County
•Fulton County
•Gwinnett County
•Henry County
•All Georgia counties
New Georgia voting laws
This is the first presidential election under Georgia’s overhaul of voting laws after the 2020 race.
No-excuse absentee voting and ballot drop boxes are still available, but they’re more limited than four years ago.
Absentee ballot applications must include a handwritten signature on a request form, which can be submitted by email to county election offices. Absentee applications require a driver’s license number or another form of ID, and they are due by March 1. Completed ballots must be received by election offices before polls close on March 12.
Drop boxes are restricted to inside areas of early voting locations, and they’re only available during in-person voting hours. The number of drop boxes is capped at one for every 100,000 active registered voters.
Georgia’s voting law, Senate Bill 202, also mandates a second Saturday of early voting in counties that didn’t already provide it, allows residents to file unlimited challenges to other voters’ eligibility, and bans handing out food and water to voters waiting in line.
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© 2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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