Election season is here (again!)—a quick guide to Georgia’s 2021 city elections

6 min readSep 30, 2021

There are only three months until 2022! We can’t believe it either. But before we skid into whatever awaits us in 2022, we have one major order of business to take care of: city elections.

Dozens of important offices will be on the ballot this November, including Mayor, City Council, and Board of Education. These offices are usually overlooked, but they affect important issues like public safety, COVID, policing, public education, and housing affordability.

Local elections can be confusing and a bit overwhelming, so in this guide, we’re going to walk you through the 6 steps you need to know in order to get registered, get informed, and cast your vote.

Step 1: Are you eligible?

In order to vote in these upcoming elections, you must:

be a U.S. citizen
be at least 18 years of age before Election Day
be a Georgia resident (this includes college students)
be registered to vote by October 4th, 2021

If you are unsure if you are eligible, refer to https://www.usa.gov/who-can-vote

Step 2: Are you registered to vote?

DEADLINE: October 4th, 2021

Georgia offers an online registration option that only takes a few minutes!

Voted before? Click here to double check if you are still registered. Just enter your information in the box on the right and hit submit.

If your address has changed between the last time you registered and now, you’ll need to register at your new address.

*Georgia “My Voter Page (MVP)”: Enter your first initial, last name, county, and date of birth in the right hand box on the screen and click submit.*

First time voting? Click here to register online. Follow the steps below to complete your registration.

Step 1: Check off the boxes to confirm that you meet the eligibility requirements.

Step 2: Select whether you are a new voter or if you are changing your registration. Then select your county of residence and enter personal information.

Step 2.5: Consent to use signature and continue.

Step 3: Enter your street number and use the dropdown box to find your street name. If your residence address is different from your mailing address, fill in the bottom section of boxes.

Step 4: Fill in your personal information. Be sure to use an email address and phone number that you check regularly.

Step 5: Double check your information. If everything is correct, click the “affirm” checkbox and complete your registration!

Within 3 weeks of registering, you will be sent a Precinct card. This card tells you where to go to vote, but you do not need to bring it with you when you go to vote. If you do not receive a precinct card within 3 weeks of sending your application, check the My Voter Page. This will tell if your application to register to vote has been approved.

If your application was not approved, give your county’s Board of Registrars a call. Click here to find their information.

If you prefer not to use the online portal, you can also apply by mail. Click here to download a mail-in application. You do not need postage to send your application. Alternatively, you can deliver the application by hand to your county’s voter registration office.

Step 3: Decide how and when you will vote!

Each election, you have 3 options for how to vote: early voting, Election Day voting, and absentee voting.

With early voting, you can vote in-person in the weeks leading up to Election Day. Voting before Election Day has a lot of advantages. For starters, the lines are much shorter. You also have the freedom to choose which polling location in your county you’d like to vote at. And, since Election Day is usually on a Tuesday, early voting also allows you the option to vote on weekends.
With Election Day voting, you can vote in-person on Election Day (which this year is November 2nd). We recommend this option if you want to vote in-person but for some reason cannot make early voting.
With absentee voting (sometimes called mail-in voting), you can complete your ballot at home and either mail-in or drop-off your completed ballot without ever having to wait in line. This is a great option if you want to skip the voting lines entirely, if you have safety concerns about voting in-person with COVID-19, or if you want the extra time to research every candidate as you complete your ballot.

If you are planning on voting absentee, the process has gone through changes since 2020. Stay tuned for our guide on how to navigate the absentee voting process without a hitch.

If you are planning on voting in-person (either early voting or Election Day voting), then read on!

Step 4: Who will you vote for?

This election is unique because it’s nonpartisan. That means candidates won’t have a party affiliation. If you don’t know where they stand on key issues before going to vote, you could end up voting for a candidate that you disagree with.

Branch is a free, nonpartisan website that explains what will be on your ballot, who the candidates are, and how their policies impact you. To get started, look up your personalized ballot at www.branch.vote.

Step 5: Find your polling location.

If you are early voting, you can vote at any polling location within your county. We’ve assembled a list of polling locations for the major counties with upcoming elections:

If your county was not listed above, refer to this link provided by the Secretary of State. Simply click on your county’s name in the dropbox and hit submit!

Early voting starts on October 12th and ends on October 29th. The entire calendar can be found here.

If you are voting in-person on Election Day, you can only vote at your assigned polling location. Use the Georgia My Voter Page to find your assigned polling location and sample ballot. Polling places are open 7 AM to 7 PM on November 2nd. Remember: if you are in line by 7 PM, you have the right to stay in line and cast your vote!

Enter your first initial, last name, county, and date of birth in the right hand box on the screen and click submit.

After entering your information, you’ll be able to see your voter information, polling place, absentee ballot information, and elected information.

Step 6: Go Vote!

Bring a valid photo ID when you come to vote such as a driver’s license, permit, passport, military photo, tribal photo or you can apply for a voter ID card. Simply visit your county’s registrar’s office.

Take a selfie with your “I voted” sticker and tag us on social media @branchpolitics.

Branch is a nonpartisan Georgia startup with a mission to make state and local government more approachable. You can find quality information about your next election by visiting www.branch.vote.