Despite coronavirus limitations, Georgians can still sign up to vote and obtain photo ID through the Department of Driver Services before the state’s Oct. 5 voter registration deadline.
The department’s website can be used to register to vote when renewing, replacing or updating an ID card or driver’s license.
In-person appointments at driver’s license offices are also available but limited because of social-distancing requirements. In the busy downtown Atlanta location, no appointments are open until Election Day, four weeks after the registration deadline.
Everyone who obtains a Georgia driver’s license is automatically registered to vote unless they check a box to opt out, a program that has resulted in the number of voters increasing to 7.4 million in advance of the Nov. 3 election.
“Don’t wait until Election Day to realize your driver’s license or identification card is missing,” Department of Driver Services Commissioner Spencer Moore said. “Photo identification is required at the polls, so please secure yours now.”
Georgians must visit driver’s license offices in person if they need to take a driving test or if they’re obtaining a license for the first time.
Same-day appointments are available in some driver’s license offices, spokeswoman Susan Sports said. People who show up without an appointment can wait in their cars because the number of customers allowed inside is restricted by social-distancing rules.
A spokeswoman for the Democratic Party of Georgia, Maggie Chambers, said she hopes the department expands hours to accommodate people who register to vote at driver’s license offices.
Georgians can also register to vote without obtaining a driver’s license, Chambers said. They can fill out paper registration applications and then bring photo ID with them to the polls on Election Day.
“Voters have options. The most important thing is to check your registration now and take steps to get registered,” Chambers said.
Voters can review their registration information through the state’s My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov. The Georgia Online Voter Registration website is registertovote.sos.ga.gov.
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