Section 21-2-224. Registration deadlines; restrictions on voting in primaries; official list of electors; voting procedure when portion of county changed from one county to another

   (a) If any person whose name is not on the list of registered electors maintained by the Secretary of State under this article desires to vote at any general primary, general election, or presidential preference primary, such person shall make application as provided in this article by the close of business on the fifth Monday or, if such Monday is a legal holiday, by the close of business on the following business day prior to the date of such general primary, general election, or presidential preference primary.

(b) If any person whose name is not on the list of registered electors maintained by the Secretary of State under this article desires to vote at any special primary or special election, such person shall make application as provided in this article no later than either the close of business on the fifth day after the date of the call for the special primary or special election, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays of this state or the close of business on the fifth Monday prior to the date of the special primary or special election or, if such Monday is a legal holiday, by the close of business on the following business day, whichever is later; except that:

   (1) If such special primary or special election is held in conjunction with a general primary, general election, or presidential preference primary, the registration deadline for such special primary or special election shall be the same as the registration deadline for the general primary, general election, or presidential preference primary in conjunction with which the special primary or special election is being conducted; or

   (2) If such special primary or special election is not held in conjunction with a general primary, general election, or presidential preference primary but is held on one of the dates specified in Code Section 21-2-540 for the conduct of special elections to present a question to the voters or special primaries or elections to fill vacancies in elected county or municipal offices, the registration deadline for such a special primary or election shall be at the close of business on the fifth Monday prior to the date of the special primary or election or, if such Monday is a legal holiday, by the close of business on the following business day.

(c) Mail voter registration applications shall be deemed to have been made as of the date of the postmark affixed to such application by the United States Postal Service or, if no such postmark is affixed or if the postmark affixed by the United States Postal Service is illegible or bears no date, such application shall be deemed to have been made timely if received through the United States mail by the Secretary of State no later than the close of business on the fourth Friday prior to a general primary, general election, presidential preference primary, or special primary or special election held in conjunction with a general primary, general election, or presidential preference primary or special primary or special election held on one of the dates specified in Code Section 21-2-540 for the conduct of special elections to present questions to the voters or special primaries or special elections to fill vacancies in elected county or municipal offices or no later than the close of business on the ninth day after the date of the call, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays of this state, for all other special primaries and special elections.

(c.1) An individual or organization shall promptly transmit all completed voter registration applications to the Secretary of State or the appropriate board of registrars within ten days after receiving such application or by the close of registration, whichever period is earlier. If an individual or organization receives a completed voter registration application 14 or fewer days before the close of registration, the individual or organization shall transmit the application to the Secretary of State or the appropriate board of registrars within 72 hours of the date of the execution of the application or by midnight on the close of registration, whichever period is earlier.

(d) Each elector who makes timely application for registration, is found eligible by the board of registrars and placed on the official list of electors, and is not subsequently found to be disqualified to vote shall be entitled to vote in any primary or election; provided, however, that an elector, voting in the primary or primaries held by a single party for the nomination of candidates to seek public offices to be filled in an election, shall not vote in a primary held by any other party for the nomination of candidates to seek public offices to be filled in the same such election.

(e) The county board of registrars shall deliver to the chief registrar of the municipality, upon a basis mutually agreed upon between the county board of registrars and the governing authority of the municipality, a copy of the list of electors for the municipality for the primary or election. Such list shall be delivered not earlier than the fifth Monday prior to a primary or election and not later than 21 days prior to such primary or election for the purpose of permitting the chief registrar of the municipality to check the accuracy of the list. The municipal registrar shall, upon receipt of the county registration list, or as soon as practicable thereafter but in no event later than five days prior to such primary or election, review such list and identify in writing to the county board of registrars any names on the electors list of persons who are not qualified to vote at such primary or election, stating the reason for disqualification. The county board of registrars shall challenge the persons identified in accordance with Code Section 21-2-228. In addition, the county board of registrars shall provide a list of inactive electors for the municipality. The municipal registrar shall certify such lists and file with the city clerk a copy showing the names of electors entitled to vote at such primary or election.

(f) The official list of electors eligible to vote in any primary or election shall be prepared and completed at least five calendar days prior to the date of the primary or election in which the list is to be used.

(g) The official list of electors and the official list of inactive electors prepared and distributed to the poll officers of each precinct shall include only the elector's name, address, ZIP Code, date of birth, voter identification number, a designation of whether the elector registered for the first time in this state and is required to comply with Code Section 21-2-216, a designation of whether the elector registered for the first time in this state by mail and is required to comply with Code Sections 21-2-220 and 21-2-417, congressional district, state Senate district, state House district, county commission district, if any, county or independent board of education district, if any, and municipal governing authority district designations, if any, and such other voting districts, if any. The official list of electors and the official list of inactive electors prepared and distributed to the poll officers of each precinct may also include codes designating that an elector has voted by absentee ballot, has been challenged, or has been sent mail by the registrars which has been returned marked undeliverable. No person whose name does not appear on the official list of electors shall vote or be allowed to vote at any election, except as otherwise provided in this article. The county registrars shall ensure that the information required to notify poll officers that an elector registered to vote for the first time in this state by mail and must comply with subsection (c) of Code Section 21-2-220 and subsection (c) of Code Section 21-2-417 is placed on each list of electors to be used at a polling place.

(h) All persons whose names appear on the list of electors placed in the possession of the managers in each precinct and no others, except as otherwise provided in this article, shall be allowed to deposit their ballots according to law at the precinct in which they are registered.

(i) When any portion of a county or municipality is changed from one county or municipality to another, the persons who would have been qualified to vote in the county or municipality from which taken, at the time of any primary or election, shall vote in the county or municipality to which they are removed; and, if required to swear or certify, the oath or certification may be so qualified as to contain this fact. The name of such elector shall be kept and checked as provided in Code Section 21-2-228.

Code 1981, § 21-2-224, enacted by Ga. L. 1994, p. 1443, § 3; Ga. L. 1995, p. 8, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 1027, § 5; Ga. L. 1995, p. 1044, § 1; Ga. L. 1996, p. 145, § 7; Ga. L. 1997, p. 590, § 21; Ga. L. 1998, p. 145, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 295, § 1; Ga. L. 2003, p. 151, § 1; Ga. L. 2003, p. 517, § 20; Ga. L. 2005, p. 253, § 25/HB 244; Ga. L. 2010, p. 914, § 10/HB 540; Ga. L. 2012, p. 995, § 17/SB 92.