National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday got a boost from several high-profile Georgians — both Democrats and Republicans — who noted both national and local efforts to make voting easier and more accessible.
Atlanta-based singer Janelle Monae joined the White House and Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, to encourage registration efforts across the country.
U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta, a civil rights icon, took to social media: “I was beaten, my skull was fractured, & I was arrested more than 40 times so each & every one of us can register to vote. Do your part.”
And Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who has led the Republican charge for next year’s presidential SEC primary — a college athletics-themed primary on March 1 that includes Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia — said it was his hope that “any eligible Georgia voter will use this day as an opportunity to register.”
In Georgia, anyone wanting to vote who is not already on the rolls has until Feb. 1 to register ahead of the crucial March 1 primary (although note that the deadline is Oct. 5 to register ahead of this year’s Nov. 3 local/special ballots).
Anyone can confirm his or her voter status online through the secretary of state’s website. You have several options if you need to register:
- For online voter registration, go to the secretary of state's website and, under the elections tab, click "Register to Vote." If you need to type in the address manually, it's http://sos.ga.gov/index.php/Elections/register_to_vote.
- On that same page, you can also download a voter registration application and mail in the completed form.
- Use the "GA Votes" mobile apps to register or confirm your status. They can be downloaded free for both Apple and Android operating systems. Go to the iTunes app store for an iPhone or iPad, or Google Play for Android.
- Check the "voter registration" box when you renew or apply for your driver's license.
- College students can obtain Georgia voter registration forms, or the necessary forms to register in any U.S. state, from their school registrar's office.
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