Georgia CommonsSB 562: Voters; persons of this state who are homeless to use the address of the registrar's office of the county in which such person resides; allow
Last action February 25, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred
A Georgia Senate bill would give homeless voters more options for a mailing address on their voter registration, letting them use a county registrar's office, a college they attend, or a place of worship instead of only the registrar's office.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-217), a person who is homeless and has no permanent address must use the county registrar's office as their mailing address for voter registration purposes. This bill would change that rule from a requirement into an option and expand the choices available. Instead of being limited to the registrar's office, a homeless voter could choose to use the mailing address of the county registrar's office where they reside, a postsecondary educational institution (a college or university) they attend, or a place of worship they are affiliated with. The bill does not set an effective date beyond the standard process, and it repeals any conflicting laws in Section 2.
What the bill does
- Changes the mailing address rule for homeless voters from a single mandatory address to a choice among three options.
- Adds a postsecondary educational institution the person is enrolled in as an allowed mailing address for voter registration.
- Adds a place of worship the person is affiliated with as an allowed mailing address for voter registration.
- Keeps the county registrar's office as one of the permitted addresses a homeless voter may use.
Who it affects
Georgians who are homeless and lack a permanent address, county boards of registrars who process voter registration and mailing addresses, and postsecondary schools or places of worship that a homeless voter might list as their mailing address.
Why it matters
Homeless Georgians registering to vote would have more flexibility in choosing a mailing address, which could make it easier for them to receive election materials at a location they can reliably access, such as a school or place of worship, rather than only a government office.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises paragraph (1.1) of O.C.G.A. § 21-2-217 to change the rule from a mandatory single address to a permitted choice of addresses for homeless voters.
- Section 1 adds two new allowable addresses: a postsecondary educational institution the person is enrolled in and a place of worship the person is affiliated with.
- Section 2 repeals any existing laws that conflict with this change.
From the bill
“For election purposes, a person of this state who is homeless and without a permanent address shall be permitted to use the mailing address of the registrar's office of the county in which such person resides, a postsecondary educational institution in which such person is enrolled, or a place of worship with which such person is affiliated;”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)
- Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
- Donzella James (D, SD-028)
- Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)
- Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
- RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)
- Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
Topics
- voter registration
- homelessness
- election rules
- voting access