EDITORIAL: Get registered, the deadline is drawing near

Published 10:01 pm Monday, September 21, 2020

The fourth Tuesday of every September is set assigned to promote voter registration. This year, with so much at stake in the upcoming November election, is a critical time to urge everyone you know who isn’t already registered to do so.

The deadline to register or update voting information and still be eligible to cast a ballot in the November general election is Monday, Oct. 5. You can register online through the Georgia Secretary of State’s website, www.sos.ga.gov or in-person at various locations, or by mail. 

You can submit an electronic application using your Georgia driver’s license number or state-issued ID card number by visiting https://microsoft.turbovote.org/ or https://registertovote.sos.ga.gov/ among other websites or through the free “GA SOS” mobile app for Apple and Android devices. You can also mail in a hard-copy of the completed voter registration application to the county registrar’s office. College students can also get applications from their campus registrar’s office.

To register in Georgia, an individual must be a citizen of the United States, be a legal resident of the county, be at least 17 and 1/2 years of age, among other requirements. 

This will likely be a record year for voting in several counties and states, amid a set of unusual circumstances that the global coronavirus pandemic has created. Making sure you’re registered is the first and arguably most important step in being prepared for the upcoming election, particularly this year. 

Local eligible voters need to take notice, get registered, get their information updated and get informed about the races and issues on the upcoming ballot. If you’re already registered, then tell a friend and share these pertinent dates with others so they can be informed. 

While Election Day may still seem a while away, keep in mind that early voting and the deadline for absentee ballot requests are both next month. We’re only a few days away from the beginning of October. 

Later this week, we will kick off our Election 2020 coverage both online and in print. In the coming weeks leading up to the November election, we will feature candidate profiles, voter information videos, Q&As, state, national and local election coverage to inform citizens of the issues at stake. Look for more later this week. 

In the meantime, get registered. The deadline is drawing near.