Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reminded Georgians this week that they have just days to register to vote to be able to participate in the March 24 Presidential Preference Primary.
Advance voting begins March 2, but the last day to register is Monday, Feb. 24, according to Georgia law. The Presidential Preference Primary will be the first time voters statewide use Georgia’s new secure paper-ballot system.
“The secure paper-ballot system is in place to provide voters assurance their ballots are secure. Georgians need to do their part by registering,” Raffensperger said. “We have made registering easy and convenient, which is why the number of Georgia voters is soaring.”
There are more than 7.2 million registered voters in Georgia. More than 460,000 people registered to vote last year, 78 percent did automatically through the Department of Driver Services.
All Georgians should check their voter registration information to make sure they are still registered where they currently reside. They can check their registration using the My Voter Page (MVP) website (https://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov). If they are not able to locate their registration using the MVP website, or information displayed on the MVP website is not accurate, they may submit a new voter registration application or update the information in their existing registration online at this link: https://registertovote.sos.ga.gov
Registration is also possible at county elections offices, state agencies that provide food stamps and Medicaid and mental health, military recruiting centers and public libraries.
Preparations for the Presidential Preference Primary includes the removal of the 18-year-old voting machines and delivery to every county of the new secure paper-ballot system, as well as technical support and training to county elections supervisors who are responsible for training the poll workers they hire locally.
The paper-ballot system has been used in six counties in a pilot during the November municipal elections and then the December runoff. It was also used in special elections in a total of 12 counties held Jan. 28 and Feb. 4.
An important feature of the new system is the ability to audit the results. Two public audits, using different methods, have already demonstrated the accuracy and reliability of the results.
To educate voters on ways Georgia is protecting election integrity, Raffensperger launched Secure the Vote. More information is online at SecureVoteGa.com .