Wilkinson County Elections and
Registrations
P.O. Box 186
Irwinton, GA 31042
(478) 946-2188
(478) 946-4388 (fax)
Tracy Strange
Elections Superintendent and Chief Registrar
Board of Elections
Betty Burney
Lillie Preyer
Konreid Etheredge
Lisa Pitts
Tracy Strange
Voter Qualifications
To register to vote in the state of Georgia, you must be:
 | A citizen of the United States
| A legal resident of Georgia and of the county
in which you wish to vote
| At least 18 years of age by election day | |
Also, 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 | |
In the state of Georgia, you do not have to register by political party to vote in the state's regular primaries or general elections.
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, i.e., the application must be postmarked by the voter registration deadline. If you are not registered to vote, register today.
If you are registering for the first time in Georgia, and you register by mail, you are required to show one of the acceptable types of identification by:
|
mailing a copy of the identification with your voter registration application
| providing a copy of the identification to the registrar during the absentee voting process, or
| by showing one of the pieces of acceptable identification when voting at the polling place. |
Voter Registration
Georgia citizens have access to several convenient methods of registering to vote:
| Download and complete a voter
registration application.
| Contact your local county
board of registrars' office or election office, public library, public
assistance office, recruitment office, schools and other government offices
for a mail-in registration form.
| E-mail
your request for a voter registration form to us, or write us at Office
of the Secretary of State, Elections Division, Suite 1104 West Tower, 2
Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30334-1505. Please include
your name and mailing address.
| Registration is offered when you renew or
apply for your driver's license at Department of Motor Vehicle Safety
drivers license posts.
| College students can obtain Georgia voter
registration forms, or the necessary forms to register in any state in the
U.S., from their school registrar's office or from the office of the Vice
President of Academic Affairs. | |
Voters are required to notify the board of registrars of their county of residence whenever they move.
If you move within the same county in which you are registered to vote and don't notify the registrar at least 30 days prior to an election, you may vote in your old polling place for that election. You must file a notice of your new address. This can be done by writing your county board of registrars' office, or by submitting a new voter registration application.
If you move outside the county in which you are registered to vote within 30 days of an election, you may vote in your old precinct for that election.
If you move outside the county in which you are registered to vote in excess of 30 days prior to an election, you have lost your eligibility to vote in the county of your old residence. You must register to vote in your new county of residence. If you don't register to vote by the deadline, you cannot vote in that particular election.
Precinct Cards
If you have misplaced or have not received your precinct card within two to three weeks of submitting your application, please contact your county board of registrars' office to request a new precinct card or to check the status of your application.
Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How...
Who will get my vote?
Each fall, Georgians vote on a variety of different elected positions:
Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Labor |
After the close of qualifying for each election, you may reference the official candidate qualifying database to see who is running for each elected office. Please access our poll locator to determine your respective congressional and legislative districts. Also, sample ballots are available through your county or municipal election superintendent's office prior to the election.
What is a registrar, primary, poll, etc.?
Please reference the Georgia Election Code for details regarding the electoral process in our state.
When do I vote?
Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on each election day. However, any voter who is waiting in line to vote at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Peak voting hours are historically from 7:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 pm, and during the mid-day lunch hour.
Where do I vote?
Each voter must vote at the polling place designated for the precinct in which the voter lives - the location of your polling place is located on your precinct card. If you have misplaced your card or do not know where your precinct is located, please use our poll locator.
Why should I vote?
Your vote is your voice in the governance of your city, county, state and country. As a citizen, you declare your rights and privileges with your vote. Contrary to popular belief, one vote - your vote - does make a difference.
How do I vote?
Prior to the
Election
As there are
approximately 8,000 ballot styles within the state of Georgia
due to various
district lines, sample ballots are
available through your county
or municipal election superintendent's office at
your polling place on election day or prior
to an election upon request. Voters are
authorized to carry a sample ballot or list of selected candidates with them to
the polls to aid them in voting their ballot. You may not share the sample
ballot or candidate list with other voters at the polls, but you may use it for
your benefit.
If your hectic schedule ever kept you from getting to the polls on Election Day, Georgia law offers you a great solution - advance voting - designed to meet the needs of today’s busy Georgians. Previously, Georgia election law permitted you to cast an absentee ballot only if you met certain specific requirements. With advance voting you may choose to vote in person before Election Day simply as a matter of convenience. Advance voting allows any registered voter to cast a ballot IN PERSON at their county board of registrars' office during normal business hours on the Monday through Friday of the week prior to an election. Simply fill out an application at your registration office and provide one of the permitted forms of identification. You will be issued a ballot to cast right there in the registrars' office. Please note that you cannot vote on the day immediately preceding the Tuesday election. Traditional polling places will be open on Election Day. However if you choose to advance vote, you cannot cast another ballot at your precinct on Election Day.
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 valid Georgia driver's license;
(2) A
valid identification card issued by a branch, department, agency, or entity of
the State of Georgia, any other state, or the United States authorized by law to
issue personal identification;
(3) A valid United States passport;
(4) A valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the elector and issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the United States government, this state, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;
(5) A valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the elector and issued by any employer of the elector in the ordinary course of such employer´s business;
(6) A valid student identification card containing a photograph of the elector from any public or private college, university, or postgraduate technical or professional school located within the State of Georgia;
(7) A valid Georgia license to carry a pistol or revolver;
(8) A valid pilot's license issued by the Federal Aviation Administration or other authorized agency of the United States;
(9) A valid United States military identification card;
(10) A certified copy of the elector's birth certificate;
(11) A valid social security card;
(12) Certified naturalization documentation;
(13) A certified copy of court records showing adoption, name, or sex change;
(14) A current utility bill, or a legible copy thereof, showing the name and address of the elector;
(15) A bank statement, or a legible copy thereof, showing the name and address of the elector;
(16) A government check or paycheck, or a legible copy thereof, showing the name and address of the elector; or
(17) A government document, or a legible copy thereof, showing the name and address of the elector.
If an elector is unable to produce any of the items of identification listed, he or she shall sign a statement under oath swearing or affirming that he or she is the person identified on the elector's voter certificate.
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.
If your name is found on the voter list, you will be issued a voter access card and admitted into a voting booth to cast your vote using an electronic touch screen voting unit. After you cast your ballot the machine will automatically eject the voter access card and you will return the card to a poll official. Instructions on how to operate the electronic touch screen voting unit are posted at each polling place and you may ask a poll official for assistance.
Additional Notes:
| Georgia law requires employers to grant their workers up to two hours to
vote on the day of an election. However, the employer is authorized to
specify the hours which an employee may use. This provision does not apply
to employees whose hours of work begin at least two hours after the polls
open or end at least two hours before the polls close. There is no
obligation for an employer to pay the employee for the time taken to vote.| A voter may receive assistance at the polls if they are unable to read the
English language or if he or she has a physical disability that renders them
unable to see or mark the ballot, operate the voting equipment, or enter the
voting booth. In order to do so, everyone, except those that are blind, must
take an oath showing the reason they need assistance. The person providing
the assistance to the voter must sign on the oath. When there is a federal
candidate on the ballot, the voter can select anyone they want to assist
them in voting, except for the voter's employer, an agent of that employer,
or an officer or agent of the voter's union. When there is no federal
candidate on the ballot, the voter can select any other resident of the
precinct or a parent, sibling, spouse or child (provided they are not a
candidate on the ballot | Children under the age of 18 may accompany a parent into the voting booth.
However, they may not be disruptive or interfere with the voting process,
vote the ballot or operate any function of a vote recorder or voting
machine. | No person may campaign; distribute literature of written or printed matter
of any kind; wear campaign buttons, signs, pins, stickers, T-shirts, etc.;
circulate petitions; or perform similar activities within 150 feet of the
building in which a polling place is located. | |
You may vote by absentee ballot in person if:
| You will be absent from your precinct from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on
election day.
| You are 75 years of age or older.
| You have a physical disability which prevents you from voting in person or
you are a constant caregiver of a person with a disability.
| You are an election official.
| You are observing a religious holiday which prevents you from voting in
person.
| You are required to remain on duty in your precinct for the protection of
life, health, or safety of the public.
| An elector may cast an absentee ballot in person at the registrar's office
during the period of Monday through Friday of the week immediately preceding
the date of the election without having to provide a reason. | |
A voter who requests an absentee ballot by mail or who appears in person during the advance voting period (Monday through Friday immediately preceding the date of the election) is not required to provide a reason why he or she is voting absentee.
How do I apply for an absentee ballot?
You may request an absentee ballot as early as 180 days before an election. Absentee ballots must be received by the county board of registrars' office by 7:00 p.m. on election day. No absentee ballots are issued on the day before or the day of an election. You may download an application for official absentee/advance ballot and mail it or fax it to your county board of registrars' office. The application must be in writing and must contain the address to which the ballot is to be mailed, the reason for voting by absentee ballot, sufficient information to identify you as a voter, and the election in which you wish to vote. If you are physically disabled or living temporarily outside your county of residence, a close relative may apply for an absentee ballot for you.
May I receive assistance with my absentee ballot?
A physically disabled or illiterate voter may
receive assistance from another voter in the same county or municipality or from
the same category of relatives who can make an application for or deliver an
absentee ballot. If the voter is outside of the county or municipality, then a
notary public can provide such assistance. Any person who assists another person
to vote absentee must complete an oath prescribed by law demonstrating the
statutory disability and that the ballot was completed as the voter desired.
Other than federal elections, no person may assist more than ten voters in a
primary, election, or runoff. A
Follow election night results by checking www.sos.state.ga.us