Elections were held for both of Georgia's US Senate seats on November 3, 2020. Both races are going to runoff elections on January 5, 2021. This is because no candidate received at least 50% of the vote.
The Races
- US Senate: Jon Ossoff (Democrat) vs David Perdue (Republican)
- US Senate Special: Raphael Warnock (Democrat) vs Kelly Loeffler (Republican)
You can find an overview of these candidates here.
Deadlines
- Dec. 7, 2020 - Register to vote, if needed [Email, fax, or postal mail]
- Jan. 5, 2021 - Request a ballot, if needed [Email, fax, or postal mail]
- Jan. 5, 2021 - Voted ballot postmark deadline [Postal mail return only]
- Jan. 8, 2021 - Deadline for voted ballot to be received in GA and for any ballot curing to be completed
Registration and Ballot Request
Check your absentee ballot status on the Georgia Secretary of State's website. After you submit your information, go to "Click Here for Absentee Ballot Status" in the lower-left.
- If it shows that your absentee application has been received for the January 5 runoff, you don't need to submit a new Federal Postcard Application (FPCA).
- If it doesn't show that the absentee application has been received, you can vote in the runoff election but will need to submit an FPCA as soon as possible (January 5 deadline).
- If you aren't registered to vote but will be 18 by January 5, you can vote in the runoff election but will need to submit an FPCA by December 7, 2020.
Ballot
Ballots for the January 5 runoff election are now available. Please check all email folders, including your spam folder, to make sure you have received your official ballot.
If your official ballot is lost or delayed, we are strongly recommending that voters abroad fill out and mail in a backup ballot (Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot or FWAB). Because the FWAB isn't set up for two Senate races, here is a sample FWAB showing how to fill it out:
Ballot Return
The instructions will indicate how to prepare your ballot for mailing and will provide the mailing address for your election office in GA.
Returning Ballot by Courier (International Express Mail Service)
Given the deadlines and the fact that the Christmas season will further exacerbate the mailing disruptions caused by COVID, we recommend that you use a courier service to return your ballot (if possible). We strongly recommend voters use a courier service for any ballots mailed back in December.
A DACH member in Zurich has kindly offered to let other Georgia voters use her corporate FedEx account to return their ballots. Due to Federal Election Commission rules, you must pay the postage or courier fees for sending ballots yourself. Democrats Abroad cannot send them for you. However, with this corporate rate the courier fee is significantly reduced.
If you are interested in using this option, please complete this Google Form. You will need to know the address of your Election Office, which you can find here. FedEx cannot deliver to PO Boxes, so you may need to contact your local election official for a street address.
Verify Your Ballot was Accepted and Fix if Needed
After you mail in your ballot, be sure to verify that it was accepted. If your ballot is rejected for signature issues, GA will let you fix it. The deadline to do so is January 8, 2021.