As each day of early voting in Georgia broke another midterm turnout record, voters often had questions about how elections are run and why their vote matters.
Voters submitted hundreds questions to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Mark Niesse, who covers elections, democracy and voting rights, answered your questions on AJC.com. We also solicited questions the past two weeks on our social media platforms about your concerns before voting Tuesday.
Here are a sampling of those questions:
Q: On my absentee ballot, and on the sample ballot on the secretary of state’s website, the Republican candidates are always listed first, regardless of alphabetical order or incumbency. Why is the Republican candidate at the top of each race?
A: Under Georgia law, candidates in the governor’s political party have been listed first on Georgia general election ballots since 1964, when Democratic Gov. Carl Sanders was in office.
A federal lawsuit alleged that Republicans’ top billing gave them an advantage of about 4.2 percentage points on average, but a judge ruled against that claim in 2020. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has upheld the constitutionality of a similar ballot order law in Florida.
Q: I’m currently in line to vote, and they’re making us fill out absentee ballot forms for early voting. Was that always required?
A: Voters have always been required to turn in paperwork for in-person early voting because, under state law, it’s considered a form of absentee voting that requires an application. But the early voting process has changed in some counties.
Several counties, including Fulton County, previously used a system called EasyVote, which streamlined the voter check-in process by printing out pre-filled voting applications when they arrived at the polls instead of making voters complete paperwork by hand.
Q: Is there a document that compares the positions of Democratic candidates to Republican candidates on key issues?
A: The AJC and Atlanta Civic Circle have published a voter guide that compares where each candidate stands on Georgia’s most pressing issues, including the economy, crime, abortion and the role of government. The voter guide can be found online at www.ajc.com/voter-guide.
Besides voting on candidates, voters are also being asked to approve two amendments to the Georgia Constitution and two state laws. These ballot questions deal with whether indicted elected officials should continue to receive a paycheck, tax relief after natural disasters, a tax break for timber production, and a tax benefit for family-owned farms.
Q: My daughter’s absentee ballot request keeps getting rejected. If she goes to school out of state, can she no longer vote in Georgia elections?
A: College students from Georgia can vote by absentee ballot no matter where they go to school, whether it’s in state or out of state.
But students must first be registered voters, and their absentee ballot request forms must be submitted to the elections office where they’re registered or through the secretary of state’s absentee ballot website at securemyabsenteeballot.sos.ga.gov.
Students who re-registered to vote where they go to school are required to request an absentee ballot from that county. Students who kept their registration at their parents’ address should submit absentee applications in that location.
So far, the most common reason for absentee application rejections is that they were submitted too early.
Q: Election madness. Is there is a difference between the parties?
A: Look to the U.S. Congress for an example of how the parties differ.
The Democrats have controlled the House since 2018, but if Republicans take over, expect some changes: A new House speaker and a new agenda.
Democratic priorities like access to abortion, addressing climate change and stricter gun control would be sidelined. And most, if not all, of President Joe Biden’s agenda would be stalled for the final two years of his term.
If the Republicans take control of the Senate, they will have the final say on any nominees for future vacancies on the Supreme Court, as they did during the Trump administration, approving three justices who now represent a conservative majority on the bench.
Q: Will I be arrested for drinking water in line to vote?
A: Georgia’s voting law does not prohibit drinking water in line. Instead, volunteers are no longer allowed to give free pizza or water to voters in lines.
The law bans distributing food and drinks to voters within 150 feet of the outer edge of a polling place or within 25 feet of any voter standing in line.
Poll workers can install self-service water receptacles for voters waiting in line.
Q: Is my vote secure?
A: Georgia voters want to know that their ballots are secure. Election officials say the state’s voting equipment, which added a printed-out paper ballot two years ago, includes layers of protections from hacking attempts or tampering.
And despite concerns that the system has vulnerabilities, state officials say there’s no evidence that Georgia’s voting equipment has been manipulated in an election, and the secretary of state’s office has said security procedures would prevent interference.
Sources: Associated Press, AJC staff reports
VOTING IN GEORGIA
Where and when can I vote on Election Day?
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. You can find your polling place on the Georgia secretary of state’s website: mvp.sos.ga.gov
Can I vote early?
Early voting was available in every county in Georgia through Friday, Nov. 4.
Do I need ID?
Georgia law requires photo identification when voting, either in person or absentee. It’s the way your county ensures it’s you casting your ballot and not someone who isn’t eligible to vote.
What IDs are acceptable?
- Any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID, including a free ID card issued by your county registrar’s office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services.
- A Georgia driver’s license, even if expired
- Student ID from a Georgia public college or university
- Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. government, Georgia or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state
- Valid U.S. passport ID
- Valid U.S. military photo ID containing a photograph of the voter
- Valid tribal photo ID containing a photograph of the voter
What if I don’t bring an ID to vote?
If you are unable to provide ID, you will be able to vote a provisional ballot. You will need to provide a copy of your ID within three days after the election to your county Board of Elections and Registration. As long as you do so, your provisional ballot will be counted, as long as you are otherwise eligible to vote.
How can I check the status of my ballot?
That information is on the Georgia secretary of state’s website.
Source: Georgia secretary of state,
OUR VOTER GUIDE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Atlanta Civic Circle teamed up to contact hundreds of candidates to provide voters with a side-by-side look at the candidates for office, their views on issues voters care about most, their party affiliation and their history in elective politics.
On ajc.com, our Georgia Decides voter guide includes basic information on candidates for statewide office, the legislature and candidates for local office throughout metro Atlanta. These include county officials such as county commissioners and school board members.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
This week, we’re dedicating this space to a collection of pieces that remind you that, yes, your vote does count, and, yes, our elections are secure.
That means the Atlanta Forward pages will look a little different until Tue., Nov. 8.
You’ll notice that we are not publishing letters to the editor this week. We’re giving our national columnists, such as George Will and Leonard Pitts, a break. And Mike Luckovich and our From the Right cartoonists will return in a week.
Throughout the week, our hope is to engage in a civil and non-partisan discussion. We’ll experiment with different ways of presenting information. Along the way, you’ll hear a lot from your neighbors about the importance of voting.
To help you cast your ballot, you’ll also notice that we will be providing plenty of useful information, such as how to find your polling place and what you need to bring to the polls to do your part to uphold our Democracy.
