Registering to Vote

Registration Requirements

In order to register to vote, the following requirements must be met:

• You must be a citizen of the United States.
• You must be a legal resident of Georgia.
• You must be at least 17.5 years old (at least 18 to vote).
• You must not be serving a sentence imposed by the conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude.
• You must not be found mentally incompetent by a judge.

How to Register

Georgia citizens have access to several convenient methods of registering to vote:

• Download, complete, and mail a voter registration application. Contact your local county board of registrars’ office or election office, public library, public assistance office, recruitment office, schools, or other government offices for a mail-in registration form.
• Registration is offered when you renew or apply for your driver’s license at the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety driver’s license posts.
• College students can obtain Georgia voter registration forms, or the necessary forms to register in any state in the U.S., from their school registrar’s office or from the office of the vice president of academic affairs.

Registration Information

The Gwinnett County Voter Registration office (678-226-7210) processes all applications. Approximately two to four weeks after mailing your application, you should receive a precinct identification card that will list your political districts and polling location for city, county, state and national elections. When voting in city (municipal) elections, Norcross City Hall is the only polling precinct. You will have a different voting precinct for any other elections.

Registration Deadline

All applications must be postmarked by the voter registration deadline. Registration forms are available through the Gwinnett County Elections Division by calling 678-226-7210, through the Georgia Secretary of State’s office website, at local library branches, or at Norcross City Hall. Your social security number is required at time of registration.

First-Time Registration

If you are registering for the first time in Georgia, and you register by mail, you are required to provide ID by one of the following ways:

• Mail a copy of the identification with your voter registration application
• Provide a copy of the identification to the registrar before or at the time you cast a ballot

Once you are registered, you may also verify your national, state, and county precinct and polling location by visiting the Secretary of State Poll Locator.

Change of Residence

Voters are required to notify the board of registrars of their county of residence whenever they move. This can be done by writing to your county board of registrars’ office, or by submitting a new voter registration application.

If you move outside the city or county in which you are registered to vote within 30 days of an election, you may vote in your old precinct for that election. If you move outside the city or county in which you are registered to vote in excess of 30 days prior to an election, you have lost your eligibility to vote in the city or county of your old residence. You must register to vote in your new county of residence. You will be assigned a new voting precinct and polling location. Remember, if you don’t register to vote by the deadline, you cannot vote in that particular election.