What to know before you vote!

Voter Guide

How many different elections do we have in 2024?

There are THREE different elections in 2024, the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP), the General Primary (in May) for state and local offices, and the General election in November. The PPP comes first on March 12th. Early voting for the PPP begins Feb 19th in Trenton. Because this is a PRIMARY election, you MUST choose either DEMOCRATIC or REPUBLICAN. You are only voting for Presidential candidates in the PPP, nothing else.

Can I vote absentee in the PPP?

YES! You can ALWAYS vote absentee ballot in ANY Georgia election. You don't need a reason to do so, if that's how you want to vote, you're free to do that. Absentee ballot voting is a safe and secure way to vote. In fact, you can go ahead and request your absentee ballot for the Presidential primary TODAY! You can complete and submit it directly to the Sec of State's office by completing the online application, OR you can print a copy, fill it out (remember you MUST fill out box 9 on the back!), and then send it in or hand deliver it to our local election office (71 Case Avenue, Trenton).

If you print out a copy, because there are TWO primary elections this year, we recommend you DON'T check any of the three "Ballot Request Opt-In" boxes in number 12 of this request form, even if you qualify, unless you're going to vote in the same party primary in May. If you think you might vote in the other party primary in May, leave the boxes in number 12 blank for now, and the day after the PPP, fill out another request form for the General primary in May and check whichever box you qualify for in number 12 on that one.

What happens after this election?

There is NO RUNOFF election possible for the PPP. Both parties have methods for using the results of this election to determine delegates to their respective national conventions. Those delegates will cast their votes at the convention to nominate their party's candidate for President that will show up on the November general election ballot. If you really want to get into the weeds of how all of this works for both parties, I recommend the website Green Papers who breaks all of that down in excruciating detail! Here's how the Georgia Democratic PPP works, here's how the Georgia Republican PPP works.

Does voting in one Party's primary commit me to voting for that Party for the rest of the year?

NO! Georgia has OPEN PRIMARIES, people are free to pick whichever party's primary ballot they wish to vote on. Doing this in no way commits you to voting for a candidate or party the remainder of the year. You're free to vote however you want in each and every election.

What and when are the other elections this year?

The General Primary for state and local offices occurs on May 21st. (Early voting for that occurs in Trenton beginning on April 29th). If a runoff election is needed for that, it will happen on June 18th. The General Election will occur on November 5th (early voting in Trenton begins October 14th) with any potential runoffs happening on December 3rd for that one.