League of Women Voters launches ‘How Georgia Votes’ series

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Submitted information: League of Women Voters launches 'How Georgia Votes' series

Sixty-one years ago, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law, a promise that every eligible American’s voice would count. This year, as Georgians prepare to choose a governor, a United States senator, and leaders in every county from Whitfield to Fulton to Colquitt, the League of Women Voters of Georgia is marking that anniversary by launching “How Georgia Votes,” a weekly series that walks through exactly how an election runs in this state — from the moment you register to the moment the results are certified.

Each week between now and November 3, the League will publish a plain-language explanation of one piece of the process: how to register and check your registration, who runs elections in your county, how every Georgia ballot produces a paper record, how voting equipment is tested before a single vote is cast, and how the count is audited after the polls close. No jargon, no politics, just how it works, because Georgians deserve to see the machinery of their own democracy up close.

“Elections in Georgia are run by our neighbors in county offices in Dalton and Moultrie just as in Atlanta, and the process they follow is careful, layered, and open to public view,” said Jackie Killings, President of the League of Women Voters of Georgia. “When voters can see each step for themselves, confidence follows. That confidence is what carries people to the polls.”

The deadline to register for the November 3 general election is Monday, October 5. Voters can check their registration status any time at the Georgia My Voter Page (mvp.sos.ga.gov) or through Vote411.org.

Registering to Vote in Georgia: Everything You Need to Know

Every Georgia election begins the same way, with a voter registration list built one neighbor at a time. This week, the League of Women Voters of Georgia’s “How Georgia Votes” series covers the first step in the process: getting on that list, and helping others do the same, ahead of the October 5 registration deadline for the November 3 general election.

Any U.S. citizen who lives in Georgia and will be at least 18 years old by Election Day can register. Registration takes only a few minutes: (1) online through the Georgia Secretary of State’s registration portal for anyone with a Georgia driver’s license or state ID, (2) by mail using a paper application available at any county registrar’s office or public library, (3) or in person when renewing a license at the Department of Driver Services. Every application, however it arrives, is reviewed and verified by trained election staff in the voter’s home county before a name is added to the rolls.

“Registration is where trust in our elections starts, because it is where accuracy starts,” said Jackie Killings, President of the League of Women Voters of Georgia. “Every name on Georgia’s voter list was checked by an election professional in one of our 159 counties — someone who lives in that community and answers to it. That is true whether your county office sits in downtown Atlanta or on the square in a town of two thousand people.”

Georgians who want to help friends, family, or neighbors register can do so. Anyone may give someone else an application or direct them to the Secretary of State’s portal, and community groups that plan to hold registration drives can find the state’s guidelines through their county registrar. Local Leagues of Women Voters across the state host registration events year-round and welcome volunteers.

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