GEORGIA IS HOLDING ITS CRUCIAL MIDTERM ELECTIONS – MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD!

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What elections are there in Georgia? What am I voting for?

Voting has never been more important and your vote is crucial! 

Georgia will hold its Midterm elections for US Representatives and US Senate as well as state-wide offices for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Supreme Court, and your State Representatives and State Senators. 

All Georgia overseas voters can vote in these important elections!

All overseas voters can vote for their US Representative and US Senator. Democrat Raphael Warnock won the special election in the 2021 Runoff and we can send him back to the Senate for a full term! We need to keep this Democratic seat in November to hold onto the Democratic majority in the Senate.

And you may also be able to vote for Governor, Lt Governor, Secretary of State, and your representatives to the Georgia state legislature. It depends on the category you choose when you register to vote and request your ballot:

• If you "intend to return": You are eligible to vote in Georgia state elections.
  *You don't have to have a set date of return and it doesn't have to be within a set time frame, but you do need to have an intention to return at some time in the future.
  
  
• If your “return is uncertain”or if you’ve “never resided” in Georgia: You won’t be eligible to vote in Georgia state elections, but you can vote in the federal elections for the US House and US Senate.

*Please note: Registering to vote and voting doesn’t change your tax status.
But selecting “intend to return” rather than “my return is uncertain” may be one of several factors Georgia uses to determine whether you may be subject to state income tax. Before you note that you “intend to return” on your FPCA form, you may consider seeking advice on these matters from a tax professional.

Please vote for all the races on your ballot –  Georgia state elections are hugely important! State governments are responsible for voting and state policies on abortion and reproductive rights, climate change, education, and so many other issues that affect us no matter where we are in the world. 

Want to join the Democrats Abroad Georgia State Team? If you’d like more info on DA’s efforts for Georgia, write to: [email protected] or click here

1) Register to Vote and Request Your Ballot Today

It's easy to request your ballot – and your ballot request covers all elections in 2022, including any possible Runoffs or Special Elections.

Go to www.votefromabroad.org and follow the prompts to fill out the form to request your ballot, the Federal Post Card Application form (FPCA). (If needed, it will also serve as a voter registration.) To ensure you receive your ballot in time, please check the box on the FPCA to have your blank ballot sent to you by “Email/Online” or “Fax”.

You can send in your FPCA to your local election office in Georgia by email (recommended) or fax or mail:

• If you are registered to vote, you MUST still send in an FPCA to request your ballot in 2022 to vote in this election. To receive a ballot by email, your FPCA must be received by October 28, 2022.
  
  
• If you are NOT registered to vote, your FPCA must be received by October 11, 2022. 

You can check your voter registration status online using: https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/
You may need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to this website from outside the US. For more information about how to use a VPN, please click here.

2) When You Get Your Ballots, Fill Them Out and Mail Them Back Right Away 

Ballots started going out on September 24, 2022. If you asked for your ballot by email, be sure to check your spam folder and any secondary inboxes.

New for 2022! You’ll now receive two ballots -- a Regular Ballot for the regular election and a Ranked Choice Ballot to fill out for any runoff elections that may occur. You should fill out and return BOTH ballots.

Don’t wait for a Runoff Election to be declared, you may not be able to mail your ballot back in time. Fill out your Ranked Choice Ballot and send it back now. If it’s not needed, it will be discarded. 

To vote the ranked choice Runoff ballot, write “1” in the box next to the name of the candidate who is your first choice, “2” for your second choice, etc. You don't need to rank all the candidates for an office, it's your choice.

When you get your ballots, fill them out and mail them back right away. For detailed instructions on how to download, fill out, and prepare your ballot materials, please click here.

You must return your ballots by mail. And fill out the “Oath of Electors” 2 times – one to return with the Regular Ballot and the other to return with the Ranked Choice Ballot. The Regular Ballot and the Ranked Choice Ballot must be sealed in a separate security envelopes and they each must have a completed and signed Voter Information Sheet, but the envelopes for the Regular Ballot and the Ranked Choice Ballot may be mailed in a single outer mailing envelope.

• Your Regular Ballot must be postmarked no later than November 8 AND it also must be received in Georgia by November 14.
  
  
• Your Ranked Choice Ballot must be postmarked no later than December 6 AND it also must be received in Georgia by December 9.

For ideas on how to mail your ballot back by the deadline, please click here 

And to contact DA volunteers in the country you're living in now for specific ideas for mailing back your ballot, please click here to go to the DA page for your country. 

3) Send in a Backup Ballot Now 

You don’t need to wait until ballots come out in late September! If you have any concerns that your ballot won’t make it back in time to meet the deadline, you can send in a Backup Ballot NOW. 

The Backup Ballot (the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, or FWAB) is only for overseas voters and protects your right to vote in case your official ballot doesn't arrive in time. For detailed information how to use the Backup Ballot, please click here.

When you use the Backup Ballot for a federal election, the website will indicate the candidates for US Senate, and the candidates for US House in your Congressional District.

And if you’re eligible to vote in state elections -- that is, you indicated on your Ballot Request form (FPCA), that you "intend to return -- then you can also use the Backup Ballot for state elections, but you will need to add those to the “Write In Candidates” section. You can use this website to find the candidates in your jurisdiction: https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup

In the "Write in Candidates" block, type in the name of the office. Then type in either the candidate’s name or “Democrat.” 

NEW for 2022!

You should also send in a separate Backup Ballot as a Runoff Ballot in case any of the races go to a Runoff election. This is a separate ballot, so you’ll need to start a new Backup Ballot (go to: www.fvap.gov/fwab-privacy-notice).

This is a Ranked Choice Ballot, where you indicate your order of preference. Using the "Write In Candidates" section, write in the office and the name the candidate, then write “1” next to the name of the candidate who is your first choice, “2” for your second choice, etc. You don't need to rank all the candidates for an office, it's your choice.

As with the regular ballot, if you indicated you "intend to return" you may rank your choices for any state offices that may go to a Runoff.

Here's are some examples:

For detailed instructions on how to fill out and prepare your Backup Ballots, click here.

IMPORTANT:

Both the General Election Backup Ballot and the Ranked Choice Ballot Backup Ballot must be sealed in a separate security envelopes. And they each must have a completed and signed Voter Information Sheet. But the envelopes for the General Election Backup Ballot and the Ranked Choice Backup Ballot may be mailed in a single outer mailing envelope.

4) Confirm That Your Ballot Was Accepted and Counted

After you send in your ballot, make sure your vote is counted!

You can check your ballot status online using: https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/

You may need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to this website from outside the US. For more information about how to use a VPN, please click here.

Or, you can email or call your local election office directly. You can find the contact information at: www.votefromabroad.org/states/GA; scroll down to "Find Your Election Office"

And if there is a problem with your ballot, you may be able to fix it!

If your election office informs you that your ballot was rejected but the problem is fixable, you can submit an "Absentee Ballot Cure Affidavit." But time is limited! Your cure form must get to Georgia by November 14. The earlier you return your ballot, the more time you will have to fix any problems.

NEED HELP? EMAIL US AT [email protected]

Want to join the Democrats Abroad Georgia State Team?
Write to:  [email protected] or click here