Welcome to the latest edition of GEEARS’ Georgia Voter Guide on Early Childhood! Elected officials at all levels of government—federal, state, and local—have the power to improve early childhood outcomes.
As parents, caregivers, educators, and providers, you can use your vote to make sure Georgia is a place where all children—and those who care for them—thrive.
Here are just a few reasons we all need to make voting plans, do our research, and elect leaders who prioritize young children and their families.
A recent GEEARS survey found that eight in 10 families have recently struggled to afford a basic need like food, diapers, or housing. Your vote can show candidates that they must center the needs of families with young children.
Last year, Medicaid Unwinding led to more than 60,000 children losing their health insurance in June alone. Your vote can influence lawmakers to prioritize young children’s health coverage.
The cessation of pandemic emergency relief funds for child care providers has left many vulnerable to closure. Your vote has the power to show leaders that increasing child care funding is essential to Georgia’s success.
We know that getting to the polls isn’t always easy. Research has shown that parents with young children at home are less likely to vote.
It can help to make a voting plan that may include bringing your little ones to the polls, where children are welcome!
It can help to use town halls, emails, and phone calls to ask your candidates or their staff about the issues that matter to your family.
It can help to remember that our children can’t yet vote—but you can be their voice.
GEEARS is here to help, too. As we do every major election year, we’ve created the following voter guide to empower Georgians to make informed decisions at the polls. This is a non-partisan guide meant to aid voters from any and all political viewpoints. As with all things from GEEARS, it was crafted with an eye on Georgia’s youngest children, their families, and the educators and caregivers who help them get their best start in life.
Your vote is their future.
We hope you’ll check out this guide, where you’ll find key dates and election information, explanations of public offices and how they can support young children, suggested questions for candidates, social media resources, and more!
Let it inspire you to tune in, ask questions, listen, learn, and most of all VOTE on (or before!) November 5th.
There is no better way to invest in the long-term health and future of this state than in our young kids. Creating environments for them to thrive, both with family and their larger communities, is critical to building a foundation for them to succeed as they grow and become productive members of society.
- Atlanta Father
Use My Voter Page to check:
- Voter registration status and information
- Mail-in application and ballot status
- Poll locations
- Early voting locations
- Sample ballot for the upcoming election
Use the Online Voter Registration System to:
- Check and see if you are registered to vote
- Register to vote by filling out an online application or printing one to mail, fax, or deliver in person
- Make changes to your current registration information
Absentee Voting
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- Voting as early as possible, particularly if you are voting by absentee ballot, helps make sure that your vote gets counted. You do not need to provide a reason to vote by absentee ballot in Georgia.
- Even if you received an absentee ballot for the primary election in May, you must complete a new application in order to receive a ballot for the general election.
- Request your ballot as soon as possible, as it may take a while to process. Download and print an application for an absentee ballot or submit an application online HERE. You can submit your application to your county’s board of elections by mail, fax, email, in-person, or via the online portal. You can find your county election office HERE.
- Once you receive your ballot, follow the provided instructions to complete it and return it by mail (or hand-deliver to your county election office). Absentee ballots must arrive at your county election office before the polls close on Election Day.*
- Use Georgia’s My Voter Page to track your application’s and ballot’s status. After you log in to My Voter Page, this information can be found by clicking “Click Here For Absentee Ballot Status” in the lower left area of the screen.
*Unless you are a military or overseas voter in which case your ballot must arrive within three days of the election.
