Voter Resources
- Can I really choose whether to vote at my campus address or back home? And which is best?
Yes, the choice is yours! The Supreme Court has established that students have a right to vote either at their campus residence or at their back-home residence. You might choose to vote according to where you feel more connected, or where you know or care more about the issues and candidates, or where you think your vote will have more impact.
COVID update - if you want to vote at your campus address, you must have an actual residence address in that state. Attending school remotely is not sufficient.
- Do I Need an ID?: Click Here
Although many states require voters to prove their identity, some use methods other than ID verification. More than half the states require voters to show some kind of identification at the polls in order to cast their ballot. In other states, methods like signatures ensure that voters are who they say they are.
- Your State's Requirements: Click Here
Each state has a slightly different rule for when and how you need to show ID in order to vote. Some states can require an ID, but don’t specify if it needs to have a photo on it. Be sure to get familiar with the rules for your state well in advance so you have time to get the right ID documents you’ll need on Election Day.
- Know Your Rights: Click Here
Unless your state has specific ID requirements, you should not be turned away at the polls for not showing ID and you should never be turned away without being offered a provisional ballot. Review additional laws in your state and inform yourself on your rights as a voter so you’re prepared with next steps if you are met with enforcement of incorrect procedure at your polling place.
- Voting Early or By Mail: Click Here
Making your voting plans early can help make sure your vote counts each election cycle. If you’ll be away from your polling place on Election Day, or simply prefer not to vote in person, you may be able to vote early or absentee, depending on your state’s rules.
- Volunteering as a poll worker
In Georgia:
You can also go through an organization such as the ACLU of Georgia or the newer Georgia Youth Poll Work Project.
866ourvote.org offers an extremely thorough guide on becoming a poll worker in Georgia. A few of their other state-specific guides are here.
Any State:
Power the Powers directs you to poll worker information for any state You can also refer to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission:
- What’s the difference between voting early and voting by mail or absentee voting? :
Voting early means actually going to a polling place to cast a ballot. Voting by mail is a system that many states have adopted that allows all registered voters to cast their ballots via mail. In some states, this is the default or most common way of voting. Voting by mail is synonymous with the phrase Absentee Voting.
- If You Have Moved Within Your State:
If a registered voter has moved to a different precinct in the same county prior to the election or to a different location within the same precinct, they have the right to vote at the polling place of their old residence and update their voter registration information at that time. If they have moved to a precinct in a different county after the registration deadline, they must register to vote in their new county by the close of registration for the election. If they moved to the new county after the close of registration for the election in which they wish to vote (i.e. after the fifth Monday before the election) the voter may vote one last time at the polling location for their prior residence.
- Georgia College Students Who Have Moved and Temporarily Displaced Due to COVID-19:
College students who meet the generally applicable registration requirements may register if they have “residence” in Georgia, defined as a place where their habitation is fixed without any present intention to move. College students’ residency may continue at a college location if it is their intention to continue to reside there, even if they are temporarily displaced due to COVID-19 or for other reasons.