Absentee Ballot Requests Go Only To Active Voters

GEORGIA — With coronavirus restrictions in place, all registered Georgia voters may be expecting to receive a request for an absentee ballot in their mail for the May 19 primary — but only active voters will receive one.

An active voter is someone who has voted recently and whose address is known to be current. Voters are generally considered inactive when mail from their local board of elections is returned as undeliverable or when they don't vote for several years.

Paulding County election supervisor Deidre Holden made a point of drawing that distinction Wednesday with a press release, encouraging all to vote through absentee ballot. "We are encouraging EVERYONE to utilize absentee by mail as their voting method to avoid potential exposure to COVID-19," Holden wrote. She said voters should expect to receive applications for absentee ballots in the mail within seven to 10 business days.

"An active voter is just that," Holden wrote by email Friday. "They are very active in participating in most all elections."

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Holden defined an inactive voter as someone who "has not voted in several years such as in two or more general elections." She added that they still are eligible to vote and will again be considered active once they do so.

The number of inactive voters is small but not insignificant. For example, in Paulding County about 10,000 of its roughly 117,000 registered voters are listed as inactive, according to Sherri Hamilton, absentee manager for the county board of elections.

Inactive voters still can vote on election day if identification like a current driver's license is presented. "We're taking requests as normal, none of that has changed," Hamilton said. However, they won't receive advance requests for absentee ballots in the mail.

To check and update your voting status, visit Georgia's My Voter Page. You also can call your local election office.

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