Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in Georgia
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for Georgia, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the Georgia Secretary of State or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 7.
Key dates
- Register online by
Monday, October 5
Online at registertovote.sos.ga.gov.
- Register by mail by
Monday, October 5
Last day to register or change address (O.C.G.A. §§ 21-2-224(a), 21-2-218); the calendar does not say whether postmark or receipt controls.
- Register in person by
Monday, October 5
- Same-day registration
No
- Early voting
Tuesday, October 13 to Friday, October 30
Fourth Monday before the election, moved to Tuesday for the state holiday (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-385(d)(1)(A)).
- How early voting works
Mandatory Saturday voting October 17 and 24; counties may add Sunday voting October 18 and/or 25. Vote at any advance voting site in your county.
- Request a mail ballot by
Friday, October 23
11 days before the election (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-381(a)(1)(A)). Applications open 78 days before (August 17).
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received, not postmarked: by the county registrar by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Military and overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day count if received by November 6.
- Election Day polling hours
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
O.C.G.A. § 21-2-403. Voters in line at 7 p.m. may vote.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
Any voter can vote by mail
No excuse needed, but you must apply; the application needs a Georgia driver's license or state ID number, or a copy of another approved photo ID.
- Drop boxes
Yes
Each county has at least one drop box, located indoors and available only during operating hours (early-voting-site boxes only during early voting hours).
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Domestic absentee ballots must arrive by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Only military and overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day count if received within three business days (by November 6). Signature/information cures are due November 6.
ID at the polls
- The rule
Photo ID required
Photo ID is required to vote in person or absentee. A voter without ID votes a provisional ballot and must show ID by 5 p.m. on November 6 (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-419). A free voter ID card is available.
- What to bring
Bring a photo ID: Georgia driver's license (even if expired), state or federal government photo ID including the free voter ID card, U.S. passport, Georgia public college student ID, government employee ID, military ID, or tribal photo ID.
When will we know results in Georgia?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
7 p.m. Eastern time
Eastern time.
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Counties that give the Secretary of State 7 days' notice (by October 27) may open inner envelopes and begin tabulating absentee ballots before polls close (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-386(a)(3)). The earliest statutory processing date was not confirmed.
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Early tabulation is allowed for counties that filed notice; results are reported after polls close. Exact earliest start not confirmed.
- Counties finish their count by
Monday, November 9
Counties certify by 5 p.m. on the Monday after the election (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-493(k)).
- State certifies results
Friday, November 20
Last day for the Secretary of State to certify federal and statewide contests (O.C.G.A. §§ 21-2-499, 21-2-497).
- Automatic recount
None
No automatic recount.
- Requested recount
A candidate may request a recount if the margin is 0.5% or less, within two business days after certification. Election officials may also order one for a suspected error or discrepancy.
O.C.G.A. § 21-2-495 (H.B. 316, 2019).
- Runoff
Tuesday, December 1
Georgia requires a majority. If no candidate for a federal or state office gets over 50%, the top two meet in a general election runoff on December 1 (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-501(a)(1)). New voters must register by November 2 to vote in it; absentee requests by November 20.
- Ranked-choice voting
Not used
Not used; Georgia uses runoffs instead.
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority. Ga. Const. art. X, § I: a proposed amendment becomes part of the Constitution if ratified by a majority of the electors qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly who vote on it. Text checked is the Secretary of State's January 2023 revision.
- New governor takes office
Monday, January 11, 2027
Ga. Const. art. V, § I, ¶ II: the Governor-elect is installed in office at the next session of the General Assembly, and art. III, § IV, ¶ I convenes the regular session on the second Monday in January; the second Monday of January 2027 is January 11. Text checked is the Secretary of State's January 2023 revision.
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Georgia Secretary of State.