Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB274: SB274 Elections and Primaries; same-day registration and voting; provide

Last action February 27, 2025 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate bill would let people register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day, either on election day at their precinct or during the advance voting period, instead of requiring registration weeks ahead of time.

In plain language

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. Title 21, Chapter 2), a person must register to vote by the close of business on the fifth Monday before a primary, election, or presidential preference primary. This bill would create an exception letting unregistered Georgians register and vote on the same day. A voter who missed the deadline could go to their assigned precinct on election day, or to any advance voting location in their home county during the advance voting period, fill out a registration application, show proof of identity and residency, and cast a provisional ballot. County boards of registrars would have three business days to verify eligibility; if approved, the person is added to the voter rolls and their ballot counts, and if rejected they are notified of the reason and their ballot is not counted. Voters already in line when polls close could still complete the process. The bill also updates the provisional ballot counting statute to recognize same-day registrants and repeals conflicting laws.

What the bill does

Creates a new same-day registration and voting process (new Code Section 21-2-224.1) allowing unregistered Georgians to register and vote at their precinct on election day or at advance voting locations.
Requires same-day registrants to prove identity using existing voter ID rules and prove residency with a driver's license, government photo ID, college ID, or documents like a utility bill or bank statement.
Requires same-day registrants to cast a provisional ballot that boards of registrars must verify within three business days before counting it.
Adds a same-day registration option specifically to the advance voting statute (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-385), letting county residents register at any advance voting site in their county.
Amends the registration deadline statute (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-224) to carve out an exception for the new same-day process.
Updates the provisional ballot verification and reporting law (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-419) so registrars can confirm and count ballots cast by same-day registrants.

Who it affects

Georgia voters who miss the standard registration deadline, county boards of registrars and election superintendents who must process same-day applications and provisional ballots, poll officers and absentee ballot clerks who verify identification, and the Secretary of State's office, which maintains the statewide voter list.

Why it matters

Georgians who miss the current cutoff, roughly five weeks before an election, would gain a new option to register and vote in person on election day or during advance voting, provided they can show ID and proof of residency, though their vote would only count after registrars verify their eligibility within three days.

Key provisions

Section 1 updates the registration application statute (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-220) to reference the new same-day registration process.
Section 2 amends registration deadlines (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-224) to note the new exception for same-day registration and voting.
Section 3 creates new Code Section 21-2-224.1, letting a person register and vote at their precinct on election day or at any advance voting site, requiring ID and proof of residency and a provisional ballot verified within three business days.
Section 4 adds a subsection to the advance voting statute (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-385) permitting same-day registration specifically during advance voting with the same proof-of-residency and provisional ballot rules.
Section 5 revises the provisional ballot statute (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-419) so registrars can confirm same-day registrants were eligible and count their ballots, or reject and notify them within three days if not.
Section 6 repeals any conflicting laws.

Status timeline

2025-02-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2025-02-26Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

voter registration
election rules
same-day voting
provisional ballots
advance voting