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If you were not among the 3 million Georgia voters who cast early ballots in the runoff election for the U.S. Senate and the Georgia Public Service Commission, Tuesday is your last chance.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voters with absentee ballots must return them no later than 7 p.m. Tuesday.
It’s rare enough to have two U.S. Senate seats on the same ballot in a regular election, but Georgia’s unique laws that require a majority vote to win the general election has put both of the state’s Senate seats on a runoff ballot.
U.S. Sen. David Perdue, a Republican, faces Democrat Jon Ossoff. And U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, appointed after the resignation of Sen. Johnny Isakson, is in a special election runoff with Democrat Raphael Warnock. The outcomes have drawn national attention because they will decide which party has control of the U.S. Senate.
The race for the Perdue seat is for a full six-year term. The winner of the Loeffler-Warnock runoff will serve until the end of Isakson’s current term in January 2023.
The third race on the ballot pits Republican incumbent Lauren “Bubba” McDonald against Democrat Daniel Blackman for the PSC.
Election Day voting
Georgians can vote from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Before you go to the polls, check your voting location on the state’s My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.
Who can vote?
All registered voters are eligible to vote in all three elections. To verify your registration, visit the Georgia My Voter page. The deadline for newly registered voters for this runoff was Dec. 7.
Absentee voting
Voters who requested an absentee ballot but haven’t returned it yet can still turn it in at a drop box. The deadline to return an absentee ballot is 7 p.m. on Jan. 5.
Drop boxes are monitored by video, and county election workers collect ballots at least once a day. No postage is required to deliver ballots in drop boxes, available in about 130 of Georgia’s 159 counties.
Besides drop boxes, voters can also return absentee ballots at their county’s voter registration office.
At this stage, voters shouldn’t return absentee ballots through the mail. Ballots sent through the mail won’t arrive before Georgia’s receipt deadline at 7 p.m. on Jan. 5. Ballots received by county election officials too late will be rejected.
Use a black or blue pen to complete your absentee ballots, fully filling in ovals. Red ink or felt tip pens should not be used.
Switching from absentee to in-person voting
Voters who requested absentee ballots but decide to instead vote in person are allowed to do so in Georgia.
However, the process of switching from an absentee ballot to an in-person ballot will take a few minutes at the polling place.
Voters must sign a document to cancel their absentee ballot, and poll workers often have to call the county elections office to confirm that the absentee ballot hasn’t already been returned.
The process takes less time if voters bring their absentee ballots with them to be canceled at the polling place.
Election results
Follow the AJC for news from the polls on Election Day and updated election results after the polls close.