Absentee Ballots
Voting By Mail
How do I vote by mail?
Voting by mail is allowed for every election.
Any eligible voter may vote by mail.
Voting by mail does not require a photo ID.
By completing an absentee ballot application,
you begin the process to vote by mail.
Do I have to state a reason?
A reason is no longer required to vote by mail in Georgia.
What if I am 75?
A voter who is 75 or older, or physically disabled, may submit one
application for more than one election.
What if I am military or an overseas
citizen?
 A member of the U.S. military, a U.S.
citizen residing overseas, or their eligible
spouses or dependents may also submit an
application for more than one election.
What exceptions apply?
 A separate absentee ballot application is required each year.
 In 2013, eligible City of Brunswick voters may use one
application for the City Election and the City Runoff Election, as
long as the voter meets the criteria for use of a single
application and the appropriate reason is checked.
 A new application will be required for the 2014 election cycle.
What should I remember when I apply
for my ballot?
Key Points
 If you will be away from your precinct on Election Day, you may
request a ballot to be mailed to your out-of-county address.
 An absentee ballot application for a voter who is temporarily out
of the county or who is physically disabled may be made by an
immediate family member who is 18 or over.
 A ballot may not be mailed to an in-county address other than the
voter’s address as registered, unless the voter is physically
disabled.
Key Points
 Applications must be filled out completely.
 The oath of elector on the yellow envelope must be completed,
followed by the voter’s signature or mark.
 If you are assisting someone with a ballot or an application, you
must sign as the person assisting the voter.
How does a ballot become a vote?
Absentee Ballot Process
Step One
Step Six
Step Seven
Absentee Ballot Application
Obtained by Voter.
Absentee Ballot Logged in
and Verified by Registrar.
Absentee Ballot Placed in
Ballot Box by Registrar.
Step Two
Step Five
Step Eight
Absentee Ballot Application
Completed and Submitted by
Voter.
Absentee Ballot Completed
and Returned by Voter.
Absentee Ballot Removed
from Ballot Box and Checked
Against Numbered List by
Election Day Absentee Poll
Workers.
Step Three
Step Four
Step Nine
Absentee Ballot Application
Logged in and Verified by
Registrar (Board of Elections
staff member).
Absentee Ballot Mailed to
Voter.
Absentee Ballot Removed
from Envelope by Election
Day Absentee Poll Workers
and Tabulated via OS
Machine.
Step One
Absentee Ballot
Application is
Obtained by Voter.
 Voter calls or writes the Board of Elections office to request an
absentee ballot application.
 Or – voter downloads an application at the Board of Elections
website or Secretary of State’s website.
Step Two
Absentee Ballot
Application is
Completed and
Submitted by Voter.
 Voter submits absentee ballot application to the Board of
Elections office by mail, fax or hand-delivery.
 The application must be submitted within 180 days of
election.
If the application is submitted too early, it will be rejected.
Step Three
Absentee Ballot
Application is
Logged in and
Verified by
Registrar.
 Information from the received application is entered into the
computerized statewide absentee subsystem.
 The application is then verified against the voter’s registration
application on file in the Board of Elections office.
Absentee Ballot
Mailed to Voter.
Step Four
 If the application is accepted, the registrar (a Board of
Elections staff member) prepares the absentee ballot and mails
the ballot to the voter.
 The ballot is prepared according to the voter’s precinct. (If
the election is a primary, it is also prepared according to the
voter’s party preference as stated on the application.)
Step Five
Absentee Ballot
Completed and
Returned by Voter.
 Voter returns the absentee ballot in the sealed yellow
envelope by mail or hand-delivery to the Board of Elections
office.
If hand-delivered, the ballot must be handed to the registrar
or absentee ballot clerk and logged in.
The voter must hand-deliver his or her own ballot unless the
voter is physically disabled.
Step Six
Absentee Ballot
Logged in and
Verified by
Registrar.
 When the ballot is received in the Board of Elections office,
it is date-stamped, logged in on the computer, and verified
against the voter registration application and the absentee
ballot application.
If the voter is disabled, the signature of the assisting person
is also required.
Step Seven
Absentee Ballot
Placed in Ballot Box
by Registrar.
 Once the ballot is verified and accepted, the registrar signs
and dates the yellow envelope.
The ballot is then placed in one of the ballot boxes, which are
locked and sealed at the beginning of the election cycle.
Step Eight
Absentee Ballot
Removed from
Ballot Box and
Checked Against
Numbered List.
 On Election Day, a team of absentee poll workers opens all
ballot boxes and reconciles the number of ballots and the
names of voters on the yellow ballot envelopes against
computer reports and numbered lists from the absentee
subsystem.
Step Nine
Absentee Ballot
Removed from
Envelope and
Tabulated by OS
Machine.
 When the reconciliation process has been completed, the
absentee ballots are removed from the yellow envelopes and
the white inner envelopes.
Ballots are stacked in groups of 25 and tabulated by the OptiScan machines, which read each ballot individually and record
the votes by the voter’s voting precinct.
Voter Assistance
Voter Assistance
In a year with no federal candidates on the ballot (such as
2013), a voter who is disabled or illiterate may receive assistance in
preparing his or her ballot from one of the following . . .
Voter Assistance, continued
1.
Any voter who is qualified to vote in the same county or
municipality as the voter who needs assistance (except a poll
worker or a poll watcher).
Voter Assistance, continued
2.
An attendant care provider or a person providing attendant care.
Voter Assistance, continued
3.
An immediate family member (mother, father, grandparent,
aunt, uncle, brother, sister, spouse, son, daughter, niece,
nephew, grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law,
father-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law) of the voter
needing assistance.
Voter Assistance, continued
 The person providing assistance to the voter in preparing the
ballot must sign the oath printed on the same envelope as the oath
to be signed by the voter.
 No person shall assist more than ten such voters in any primary,
election, or runoff in which there is no federal candidate on the
ballot.
Voter Assistance, continued
 In federal elections, a voter who is physically disabled or
illiterate may receive assistance from a person of the voter’s
choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that
employer or an officer or agent of the voter’s union.
 There is no limit to the number of voters assisted in federal
elections, providing that voters are eligible for assistance.
How should I return my voted ballot?
Returning an Absentee Ballot
 Georgia prohibits anyone other than the voter himself/herself
from personal delivery of a voted mail-in ballot.
 However . . . delivery of the ballot of a physically disabled
voter may be made by any adult person upon satisfactory proof
that such person is the voter’s mother, father, grandparent, aunt,
uncle, brother, sister, spouse, son, daughter, niece, nephew,
grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, father-inlaw, brother-in-law, sister-in-law or an individual residing in the
household of the disabled voter.
Returning an Absentee Ballot
 Mail-in ballots must be received at the Board of Elections office
no later than close of the polls ( 7 P.M.) on Election Day.
 We urge you to complete your mail-in ballot and return it to our
office as quickly as possible.
What if I am hospitalized?
The Hospitalized Voter
 A voter who is confined to a hospital on the day of an election or
primary may request a ballot, which may be delivered by a
registrar or absentee ballot clerk.
 The voter shall vote the ballot then and there, seal it properly,
and deliver it back to the registrar or absentee ballot clerk.
Caution!
 Remember to carefully observe the rules for
absentee voting – especially the rules for voter
assistance and delivery of a voted ballot.
 Remember to check your absentee ballot
envelope to be sure you have completed the
oath of elector and signed your oath.
Caution!
 The oath of elector contains these elements:
A. The voter’s street address.
B. The county of residence.
C. The voter’s month and day of birth.
D. The voter’s signature or mark.
E. And, if assisted, the signature of the person assisting the
voter, his or her relationship to the voter and the reason
for assistance.
Questions? Call our office.
Glynn County Board of Elections and Registration
1815 Gloucester Street
Brunswick, Georgia 31520
(912) 554-7060