The voter registration period for eligibility in the Nov. 7 general election will end at 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 11, according to Putnam County’s acting election supervisor Kimberly Rudolph.
Rudolph also outlined some of the procedures and deadlines for the three methods of casting ballots: absentee, early voting, and election-day voting. Registration application forms are now available by mail or at the board of elections office in the county administration building off U.S. 441 north of Eatonton. The forms, which are about the size of a 5x7 index card, have eight blocks to complete.
Since a photo ID is now required when voting, one is also required to register to vote. In the vast majority of cases, a Georgia driver’s license can be used, but other government-issued ID photos also may be accepted.
For applicants without a driver’s license or other such photo, the board of elections office can take your photo and issue a government ID card. The service is free.
To qualify for voter registration, one must be a U.S. citizen, be a legal resident of Putnam County, and be 18 years old by election day, Nov.
7. The applicant must not be serving a sentence for conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude, nor have been found mentally incompetent by a judge.
Having the completed form in the board of elections office by the Oct. 11 deadline does not complete the process.
Names are entered on the voter rolls after the information has been checked and approved. Voters will then receive a voter precinct card in the mail.
Rudolph does not expect a lot of new applicants, simply because Putnam has a large percentage of eligible residents already registered, probably due to registration while obtaining driver’s licenses.
Of the roughly 22,000 residents recorded in the 2020 census, Putnam had 15,761 active registered voters and another 1,397 inactive voters as of this past Monday. Once the number of underage children and youths, plus convicted felons, are discounted, there may be only a few hundred left to register.
Inactive voters are defined as those who have had no activity, either by voting or contacting the elections office, during the last two general election cycles.
If they show up, they can still vote.
As for casting ballots under the three methods, the deadlines and voting periods are as follows: Absentee: The application for an absentee ballot must be received at the board of elections office by Oct. 28. The voted ballot must be received in the election’s office – not the voting precinct – by 7 p.m. Nov. 7.
Absentee voters are cautioned to read the instructions carefully.
While voters using the absentee method still do not have to give a reason for using this method and may still have (carefully qualified) assistance, Georgia’s new election law mandates stiff penalties for each violation, starting with a minimum of one year imprisonment and/or a fine not to exceed $100,000.
Early voting: This increasingly popular voting method will run in a three-week period from Monday, Oct. 17 through Friday, Nov. 4. The single voting site will be the board of elections offices, during normal business hours. Two Saturdays – Oct. 22 and Oct. 29 –also will be available.
In-person Election Day: the five voting precincts (but NOT the board of elections office) will be available for voting, beginning 7 a.m. up to and including anyone already in line at 7 p.m.