Georgia voting rules require ballots to be counted in public, voting equipment to undergo formal checks and counties to complete post-election audits before results are certified.
The system covers advance voting, absentee ballots and polling-place voting on Election Day, with county election officials required to maintain a documented chain of custody from the moment ballots are cast until the final returns are signed.
How Georgia ballots are counted
Once polling stations close, officials must publicly begin counting paper ballots and continue the process without interruption until the count is complete. Ballot boxes are opened in the presence of witnesses, while candidate names and ballot questions are read aloud.
Officials record the number of ballots received, cast, spoiled, cancelled and left blank, alongside the votes recorded for each candidate. Ballots that identify the voter are void, while marks that clearly show a voter’s intention must generally be counted.
Georgia’s rules also allow votes for certified write-in candidates to be counted when they are placed in the designated area. Votes for candidates who have died, withdrawn or been disqualified cannot be included.
County superintendents must compare the number of ballots with voter check-in records. If the figures do not match, the count can be halted while poll officers and candidate representatives inspect the materials and determine whether a recount is required.
Early voting results must be tabulated and reported by 8pm on election night, or within one hour of polls closing in the county, whichever is later. Election Day ballots and timely absentee ballots are then processed, followed by provisional ballots and any remaining categories required by law. ([legis.ga.gov](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t21-%28v18%29-pdf.pdf?utm_source=openai))
County officials must consolidate and certify their returns by 5pm on the Monday after the election, before sending them to the Georgia Secretary of State.
Ways to vote in Georgia
Voters can cast ballots during a three-week advance voting period, by absentee ballot or in person on Election Day. Advance voting begins on the fourth Monday before an election and includes two Saturdays; counties may also provide Sunday voting.
During the advance period, voters may use any approved early voting site in their county. On Election Day, polling places are open from 7am to 7pm and voters must normally attend their assigned precinct. Anyone already in line at 7pm is allowed to vote. ([sos.ga.gov](https://sos.ga.gov/how-to-guide/how-guide-voting?utm_source=openai))
Absentee ballot applications can be submitted up to 78 days before an election and must normally reach county officials no later than the 11th day before polling day. Applications may be sent by post, fax, email attachment, in person or through the state’s online system.
Applicants must provide a Georgia driving licence or state identification number. Those without one can submit a copy of an approved document, such as a passport, military or tribal identification, or a utility bill, bank statement, pay cheque or government document showing their name and address.
Completed absentee ballots must arrive with the county registrar by 7pm on Election Day. They may be returned by post, delivered by the voter or an authorised relative or household member, or placed in an official county drop box.
Registrars check the information on absentee ballots against registration records and notify voters when missing or mismatched details may be corrected. A voter who requested an absentee ballot can still vote in person by surrendering the unused ballot or cancelling it in writing, but a completed ballot cannot be cancelled once it has been received.
Georgia requires photo identification when voting in person and also requires identification information for absentee voting. Acceptable in-person identification includes a Georgia driving licence, a state-issued identity card, a US passport, military or tribal identification, certain government employee cards and student identification issued by a public Georgia college or university. ([sos.ga.gov](https://sos.ga.gov/page/georgia-voter-identification-requirements?utm_source=openai))
Voters whose names do not appear on the registration list but who believe they are eligible may cast a provisional ballot. It will be counted if county officials verify the voter’s eligibility within the statutory period after Election Day.
Checks on voting equipment and registration
Voting systems must pass qualification, state certification and local acceptance testing before they are used. Georgia’s rules require vendors to provide technical material including operating manuals, system designs, software source code and records of formal complaints or previous decertification notices.
Any change to certified hardware, firmware or software can invalidate certification unless officials determine that it does not affect the way ballots are recorded or votes are counted. The Secretary of State decides whether further testing is required. ([rules.sos.ga.gov](https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/590-8-1?utm_source=openai))
Georgia also checks citizenship information supplied during voter registration. A driving licence or state identification number may be matched against Department of Driver Services records. If citizenship cannot be confirmed there, officials can use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system and ask local registrars to review the information for errors.
Audits before certification
Counties take part in a statewide risk-limiting audit after November general elections in even-numbered years. The audit is conducted before certification, is open to public observation and relies on a ballot manifest and controlled handling of ballot containers.
The contest selected for audit is chosen by the Secretary of State under the current state election rules. Audit teams manually examine selected paper ballots and compare the voter’s printed or marked choice with the reported result. The current rule sets a maximum risk limit of 10 per cent. ([rules.sos.ga.gov](https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/183-1-15?utm_source=openai))
Digital scans of paper ballots must also be posted after an election, with the Secretary of State required to publish images at a minimum resolution of 200 dots per inch by 5pm on the second Friday after polling day. Members of the public can request higher-resolution copies after certification under open-records procedures.
The measures form a layered process in which ballots are counted locally, checked against voter records, reviewed through public procedures and audited before county results are formally certified.
