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ATLANTA – On Tuesday, December 4, 2018, the polls will be open from 7 AM to 7 PM in all 159 counties for Election Day with two state-wide run-off elections and various local elections on the ballot. Secretary of State Robyn A. Crittenden encourages all eligible voters who have not already voted to make their voices heard in these important contests.
“In Georgia, it has never been easier to register to vote and take part in our electoral process, and I am strongly encouraging all eligible voters to do their research on the candidates, develop a plan to go vote, and head to the polls tomorrow to vote in these critical races,” stated Secretary Crittenden. “As Secretary of State, I am committed to election integrity, transparency, and compliance with the law. To fulfill these objectives, I have issued extensive guidance to all county election and registration offices to ensure that they are prepared for this run-off election and stand ready to accommodate high voter turn-out tomorrow given the unprecedented participation that we saw in November’s election.”
Right now, Georgia has nearly 7,000,000 active and inactive registered voters – an all-time record – eligible to take part in this run-off election. Already, voters have cast 402,042 ballots – 375,335 in-person and 26,707 by mail – in the early voting period.
You must have been registered to vote by October 9, 2018 to vote in this run-off election, but you did not have to actually vote in the November 6, 2018 election to be able to cast a ballot tomorrow. Check the My Voter Page for on-demand, personalized voting information, including the status of your absentee ballot if you requested one, your polling place location, and your sample ballot for tomorrow’s run-off election.
Based on a federal Consent Order signed on Friday, November 30, 2018, an absentee ballot postmarked by December 4, 2018 – the date of the run-off election – and received by county election offices by December 7, 2018 must be counted if the ballot is otherwise valid. This Consent Order only applies to the December 4, 2018 run-off election.
The Secretary of State’s Election Night Results website will provide unofficial results after the close of the polls tomorrow once local officials begin to upload tabulated results. The website will not reflect final numbers for absentee by mail and provisional ballots on election night. On this website, “100% reporting” refers to reporting by early voting and Election Day precincts. It does not reflect all potential absentee by mail and provisional ballot numbers. This website is updated throughout the evening and the days following the election as counties continue to tabulate valid absentee by mail and provisional ballots.
The Election Night Results website will not reflect all absentee by mail and provisional ballot numbers because federal law, state law, and a federal Consent Order applicable to this run-off election afford voters who cast absentee by mail ballots, provisional ballots for missing identification, and Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) ballots until the close of business on Friday, December 7, 2018 for ballots to be received, validated by county offices, and – if validated – counted.
Based on UOCAVA and state law, an eligible military and overseas citizen voter’s ballot postmarked by December 4, 2018 and received by their county election office by December 7, 2018 must be counted if the ballot is otherwise valid. Based on the federal Consent Order, an absentee ballot postmarked by December 4, 2018 and received by a voter’s county election office by December 7, 2018 must be counted if the ballot is otherwise valid. Based on federal and state law, a voter who casts a provisional ballot for missing identification and provides sufficient identifying information to county officials by the close of business on Friday, December 7, 2018 will have their provisional ballot counted.
All numbers on the Election Night Results website are unofficial until all counties and the state have certified the election results. Counties must certify their election results by 5 PM on Monday, December 10, 2018, and these results must reflect all valid absentee by mail and provisional ballots. The Secretary of State must certify the election results by 5 PM on Tuesday, December 18, 2018.