The countywide special election and municipal elections are still about a month away, but the deadline for voter registration is just around the corner.
Tuesday is the official deadline to register, and voter registration forms must be submitted or postmarked by the end of business Oct. 11, Bryan County Chief Registrar Warren Miller said.
Registration forms can be found at the Voter Registration Office in the county courthouse or at City Hall in Pembroke, as well as the County Administrative Complex and City Hall in Richmond Hill. The Richmond Hill and Pembroke public libraries also have registration forms, or they can be found online at www.sos.state.ga.us.
Anyone registering to vote must show proof of U.S. citizenship, residency of Georgia and residency in the county in which they wish to cast a ballot. Those wishing to register must also be at least 17 and one half years of age and cannot be serving any sentence imposed by the conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude and cannot have been found mentally incompetent.
Miller said the registration form has instructions, but that a name, physical address and birth date are required on the form. He also said full Social Security numbers are no longer required, just the last four digits or a driver’s license number.
If a resident is registering for the first time by mail, Warren said, they must provide a photo ID or information that shows their name and address. He cited a copy of an electric bill as an example.
In order to vote, residents must present a form of photo identification, including a Georgia driver’s license, valid U.S. passport, valid U.S. military photo ID, valid tribal photo ID or a valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free voter ID card issued by the county registrar’s office or Department of Driver Services.
To register for an absentee ballot, Warren said residents can go to the Voter Registration Office, or find an application on the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.ga.gov.
Other registration information:
• Richmond Hill currently has about 1,500 registered voters, while Pembroke has around 6,300. Check voter registration status and determine voter precinct by visiting the Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page” at www.sos.ga.gov/mvp.
• Registration forms should be mailed to the Bryan County Voter Registration Office at P.O. Box 1526, Pembroke, Ga., 31321, or to the Secretary of State’s office at Elections Division, 802 Floyd West Tower, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SE, Atlanta, Ga. 30334.

Dates and details:
• Voter registration deadline is Tuesday.
• Early voting is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, Oct. 18-Nov. 4 at the Voter Registration Office in Pembroke or the County Administrative Complex in Richmond Hill.
• For Election Day on Nov. 8, voters can cast ballots for municipal races in Pembroke at City Hall or for Richmond Hill at City Hall and the John W. Stevens Wetlands Education Center in J.F. Gregory Park. To vote in the countywide special election, voters must go to their regular precincts. The two elections are separate, Warren noted.
• For a complete list of Bryan County voter precincts, please visit www.bryancountyga.org/departments/voting/polling_places.php.
For more information, call the Voter Registration Office at 653-3859.