2022 Georgia Code
Title 21 - Elections
Chapter 2 - Elections and Primaries Generally
Article 1 - General Provisions
§ 21-2-2. Definitions

As used in this chapter, the term:

(.1) “Activities of daily living” includes eating, toileting, grooming, dressing, shaving, transferring, and other personal care services.

(.2) “Attendant care services” means services and supports furnished to an individual with a physical disability, as needed, to assist in accomplishing activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and health related functions through hands-on assistance, supervision, or cuing.

1. “Ballot” means “official ballot” or “paper ballot” and shall include the instrument, whether paper, mechanical, or electronic, by which an elector casts his or her vote.
2. “Ballot marking device” means a pen, pencil, or similar writing tool, or an electronic device designed for use in marking paper ballots in a manner that is detected as a vote so cast and then counted by ballot scanners.

   (2.1) “Ballot scanner” means an electronic recording device which receives an elector’s ballot and tabulates the votes on the ballot by its own devices, also known as a “tabulating machine.”

3. “Call” or “the call,” as used in relation to special elections or special primaries, means the affirmative action taken by the responsible public officer to cause a special election or special primary to be held. The date of the call shall be the date of the first publication in a newspaper of appropriate circulation of such affirmative action.

   (3.1) “Campaign material” means any newspaper, booklet, pamphlet, card, sign, paraphernalia, or any other written or printed matter referring to:

   1. A candidate whose name appears on the ballot in a primary or election;
   2. A referendum which appears on the ballot in a primary or election; or
   3. A political party or body which has a nominee or nominees on the ballot in a primary or election.

      Campaign material shall not include any written or printed matter that is used exclusively for the personal and private reference of an individual elector during the course of voting.

4. “Custodian” means the person charged with the duty of testing and preparing voting equipment for the primary or election and with instructing the poll officers in the use of same.

   (4.1) “Direct recording electronic” or “DRE” voting equipment means a computer driven unit for casting and counting votes on which an elector touches a video screen or a button adjacent to a video screen to cast his or her vote. Such term shall not encompass ballot marking devices or electronic ballot markers.

5. “Election” ordinarily means any general or special election and shall not include a primary or special primary unless the context in which the term is used clearly requires that a primary or special primary is included.
6. “Election district” is synonymous with the terms “precinct” and “voting precinct.”
7. “Elector” means any person who shall possess all of the qualifications for voting now or hereafter prescribed by the laws of this state, including applicable charter provisions, and shall have registered in accordance with this chapter.

   (7.1) “Electronic ballot marker” means an electronic device that does not compute or retain votes; may integrate components such as a ballot scanner, printer, touch screen monitor, audio output, and navigational keypad; and uses electronic technology to independently and privately mark a paper ballot at the direction of an elector, interpret ballot selections, communicate such interpretation for elector verification, and print an elector verifiable paper ballot.

8. “General election” means an election recurring at stated intervals fixed by law or by the respective municipal charters; and the words “general primary” mean a primary recurring at stated intervals fixed by law or by the respective municipal charters.
9. “Health related functions” means functions that can be delegated or assigned by licensed health care professionals under state law to be performed by an attendant.
10. “Independent” means a person unaffiliated with any political party or body and includes candidates in a special election for a partisan office for which there has not been a prior special primary.
11. “Managers” means the chief manager and the assistant managers required to conduct primaries and elections in any precinct in accordance with this chapter.
12. “Municipal office” means every municipal office to which persons can be elected by a vote of the electors under the laws of this state and the respective municipal charters.
13. “Municipality” means an incorporated municipality.
14. “Nomination” means the selection, in accordance with this chapter, of a candidate for a public office authorized to be voted for at an election.
15. “November election” means the general election held on the Tuesday next following the first Monday in November in each even-numbered year.
16. “Numbered list of voters” means one or more sheets of uniform size containing consecutively numbered blank spaces for the insertion of voters’ names at the time of and in the order of receiving their ballots or number slips governing admissions to the voting machines.
17. “Oath” shall include affirmation.
18. “Official ballot” means a ballot, whether paper, mechanical, or electronic, which is furnished by the superintendent or governing authority in accordance with Code Section 21-2-280, including paper ballots that are read by ballot scanners.
19. “Official ballot label” means a ballot label prepared in accordance with Article 9 of this chapter and delivered by the superintendent to the poll officers in accordance with Code Section 21-2-328.

    (19.1) “Optical scanning voting system” means a system employing paper ballots on which electors cast votes with a ballot marking device or electronic ballot marker after which votes are counted by ballot scanners.

20. “Paper ballot” or “ballot” means the forms described in Article 8 of this chapter.
21. “Party nomination” means the selection by a political party, in accordance with this chapter, of a candidate for a public office authorized to be voted for at an election.
22. Reserved.
23. “Political body” or “body” means any political organization other than a political party.
24. “Political organization” means an affiliation of electors organized for the purpose of influencing or controlling the policies and conduct of government through the nomination of candidates for public office and, if possible, the election of its candidates to public office, except that the term “political organization” shall not include a “subversive organization” as defined in Part 2 of Article 1 of Chapter 11 of Title 16, the “Sedition and Subversive Activities Act of 1953.”
25. “Political party” or “party” means any political organization which at the preceding:
    1. Gubernatorial election nominated a candidate for Governor and whose candidate for Governor at such election polled at least 20 percent of the total vote cast in the state for Governor; or
    2. Presidential election nominated a candidate for President of the United States and whose candidates for presidential electors at such election polled at least 20 percent of the total vote cast in the nation for that office.
26. “Poll officers” means the chief manager, assistant managers, and clerks required to conduct primaries and elections in any precinct in accordance with this chapter.
27. “Polling place” means the room provided in each precinct for voting at a primary or election.
28. “Precinct” is synonymous with the term “voting precinct” and means a geographical area, established in accordance with this chapter, from which all electors vote at one polling place.
29. “Primary” means any election held for the purpose of electing party officers or nominating candidates for public offices to be voted for at an election.
30. “Public office” means every federal, state, county, and municipal office to which persons can be elected by a vote of the electors under the laws of this state or the respective municipal charters, except that the term shall not include the office of soil and water conservation district supervisor.
31. “Question” means a brief statement of such constitutional amendment, charter amendment, or other proposition as shall be submitted to a popular vote at any election.
32. “Residence” means domicile.

    (32.1) “Scanning ballot” means a printed paper ballot designed to be marked by an elector with a ballot marking device or electronic ballot marker or a blank sheet of paper designed to be used in a ballot marking device or electronic ballot marker, which is then inserted for casting into a ballot scanner.

33. “Special election” means an election that arises from some exigency or special need outside the usual routine.
34. “Special primary” means a primary that arises from some exigency or special need outside the usual routine.
35. “Superintendent” means:
    1. Either the judge of the probate court of a county or the county board of elections, the county board of elections and registration, the joint city-county board of elections, or the joint city-county board of elections and registration, if a county has such;
    2. In the case of a municipal primary, the municipal executive committee of the political party holding the primary within a municipality or its agent or, if none, the county executive committee of the political party or its agent;
    3. In the case of a nonpartisan municipal primary, the person appointed by the proper municipal executive committee;
    4. In the case of a municipal election, the person appointed by the governing authority pursuant to the authority granted in Code Section 21-2-70; and
    5. In the case of the State Election Board exercising its powers under subsection (f) of Code Section 21-2-33.1, the individual appointed by the State Election Board to exercise the power of election superintendent.
36. “Swear” shall include affirm.
37. “Violator” means any individual, partnership, committee, association, corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, professional corporation, trust, enterprise, franchise, joint venture, political party, political body, candidate, campaign committee, political action committee or any other political committee or business entity, or any governing authority that violates any provision of this chapter.
38. Reserved.
39. “Voter” is synonymous with the term “elector.”
40. “Voting machine” is a mechanical device on which an elector may cast a vote and which tabulates those votes by its own devices and is also known as a “lever machine.”
41. “Write-in ballot” means the paper or other material on which a vote is cast for persons whose names do not appear on the official ballot or ballot labels.

History. Code 1933, § 34-103, enacted by Ga. L. 1964, Ex. Sess., p. 26, § 1; Ga. L. 1970, p. 347, § 1; Ga. L. 1978, p. 1004, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1979, p. 964, § 1; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 21; Ga. L. 1982, p. 1512, § 1; Ga. L. 1983, p. 140, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 696, § 1; Ga. L. 1988, p. 964, § 1; Ga. L. 1989, p. 10, § 1; Ga. L. 1994, p. 279, § 1; Ga. L. 1997, p. 590, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 145, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 295, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 1231, §§ 1, 2, 25, 26; Ga. L. 2001, Ex. Sess., p. 325, § 1; Ga. L. 2002, p. 598, §§ 1-1, 2-1; Ga. L. 2003, p. 151, § 1; Ga. L. 2003, p. 517, § 1; Ga. L. 2005, p. 253, § 1/HB 244; Ga. L. 2006, p. 888, § 1/HB 1435; Ga. L. 2010, p. 914, § 1/HB 540; Ga. L. 2016, p. 173, § 1/SB 199; Ga. L. 2019, p. 7, § 1/HB 316; Ga. L. 2021, p. 14, § 3/SB 202; Ga. L. 2022, p. 352, § 21/HB 1428.

The 2019 amendment, effective April 2, 2019, substituted the present provisions of paragraph (2) for the former provisions, which read: “ ‘Ballot labels’ means the cards, paper, or other material placed on the front of a voting machine containing the names of offices and candidates and statements of questions to be voted on.”; added paragraph (2.1); added the second sentence in paragraph (4.1); added paragraph (7.1); substituted “paper ballots that are read by ballot scanners” for “ballots read by optical scanning tabulators” near the end of paragraph (18); and added paragraphs (19.1) and (32.1).

The 2021 amendment, effective March 25, 2021, deleted “and” at the end of subparagraph (35)(C), substituted “; and” for a period at the end of subparagraph (35)(D), and added subparagraph (35)(E).

The 2022 amendment, effective May 2, 2022, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, substituted “devices,” for “devices;” in paragraph (2.1); and substituted “and navigational” for “and a navigational” in paragraph (7.1).

Cross references.

District supervisors; election procedure for elected supervisors, § 2-6-30 .

Probate court’s authority to perform duties relating to elections, § 15-9-30 .

Editor’s notes.

For application of this statute in 2020 and 2021, see Executive Orders 08.15.20.01, 08.31.20.02, 09.15.20.01, 09.30.20.02, 10.15.20.01, 10.30.20.02, 11.13.20.01, 11.30.20.02, 12.08.20.01, 12.30.20.02, 01.15.21.01, 01.29.21.02, 02.15.21.01, 02.26.21.02, 03.12.21.01, 03.31.21.03, 04.30.21.01, and 05.28.21.02.

A listing of Executive Orders issued in 2020 and 2021 can be found at https://gov.georgia.gov/executive-action/executive-orders.

Ga. L. 2021, p. 14, § 1/SB 202, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “This Act shall be known and may be cited as the ‘Election Integrity Act of 2021.”’

Ga. L. 2021, p. 14, § 2/SB 202, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “The General Assembly finds and declares that:

“(1) Following the 2018 and 2020 elections, there was a significant lack of confidence in Georgia election systems, with many electors concerned about allegations of rampant voter suppression and many electors concerned about allegations of rampant voter fraud;

“(2) Many Georgia election processes were challenged in court, including the subjective signature-matching requirements, by Georgians on all sides of the political spectrum before and after the 2020 general election;

“(3) The stress of the 2020 elections, with a dramatic increase in absentee-by-mail ballots and pandemic restrictions, demonstrated where there were opportunities to update existing processes to reduce the burden on election officials and boost voter confidence;

“(4) The changes made in this legislation in 2021 are designed to address the lack of elector confidence in the election system on all sides of the political spectrum, to reduce the burden on election officials, and to streamline the process of conducting elections in Georgia by promoting uniformity in voting. Several examples will help explain how these goals are achieved;

“(5) The broad discretion allowed to local officials for advance voting dates and hours led to significant variations across the state in total number of hours of advance voting, depending on the county. More than 100 counties have never offered voting on Sunday and many counties offered only a single day of weekend voting. Requiring two Saturday voting days and two optional Sunday voting days will dramatically increase the total voting hours for voters across the State of Georgia, and all electors in Georgia will have access to multiple opportunities to vote in person on the weekend for the first time;

“(6) Some counties in 2020 received significant infusions of grant funding for election operations, while other counties received no such funds. Promoting uniformity in the distribution of funds to election operations will boost voter confidence and ensure that there is no political advantage conferred by preferring certain counties over others in the distribution of funds;

“(7) Elections in Georgia are administered by counties, but that can lead to problems for voters in counties with dysfunctional election systems. Counties with long-term problems of lines, problems with processing of absentee ballots, and other challenges in administration need accountability, but state officials are limited in what they are able to do to address those problems. Ensuring there is a mechanism to address local election problems will promote voter confidence and meet the goal of uniformity;

“(8) Elections are a public process and public participation is encouraged by all involved, but the enthusiasm of some outside groups in sending multiple absentee ballot applications in 2020, often with incorrectly filled-in voter information, led to significant confusion by electors. Clarifying the rules regarding absentee ballot applications will build elector confidence while not sacrificing the opportunities for electors to participate in the process;

“(9) The lengthy absentee ballot process also led to elector confusion, including electors who were told they had already voted when they arrived to vote in person. Creating a definite period of absentee voting will assist electors in understanding the election process while also ensuring that opportunities to vote are not diminished, especially when many absentee ballots issued in the last few days before the election were not successfully voted or were returned late;

“(10) Opportunities for delivering absentee ballots to a drop box were first created by the State Election Board as a pandemic response. The drop boxes created by rule no longer existed in Georgia law when the emergency rules that created them expired. The General Assembly considered a variety of options and constructed a system that allows the use of drop boxes, while also ensuring the security of the system and providing options in emergency situations;

“(11) The lengthy nine-week runoffs in 2020 were exhausting for candidates, donors, and electors. By adding ranked choice voting for military and overseas voters, the run-off period can be shortened to a more manageable period for all involved, easing the burden on election officials and on electors;

“(12) Counting absentee ballots in 2020 took an incredibly long time in some counties. Creating processes for early processing and scanning of absentee ballots will promote elector confidence by ensuring that results are reported quickly;

“(13) The sanctity of the precinct was also brought into sharp focus in 2020, with many groups approaching electors while they waited in line. Protecting electors from improper interference, political pressure, or intimidation while waiting in line to vote is of paramount importance to protecting the election system and ensuring elector confidence;

“(14) Ballot duplication for provisional ballots and other purposes places a heavy burden on election officials. The number of duplicated ballots has continued to rise dramatically from 2016 through 2020. Reducing the number of duplicated ballots will significantly reduce the burden on election officials and creating bipartisan panels to conduct duplication will promote elector confidence;

“(15) Electors voting out of precinct add to the burden on election officials and lines for other electors because of the length of time it takes to process a provisional ballot in a precinct. Electors should be directed to the correct precinct on election day to ensure that they are able to vote in all elections for which they are eligible;

“(16) In considering the changes in 2021, the General Assembly heard hours of testimony from electors, election officials, and attorneys involved in voting. The General Assembly made significant modifications through the legislative process as it weighed the various interests involved, including adding further weekend voting, changing parameters for out-of-precinct voting, and adding transparency for ballot images; and

“(17) While each of the changes in this legislation in 2021 stands alone and is severable under Code Section 1-1-3, the changes in total reflect the General Assembly’s considered judgment on the changes required to Georgia’s election system to make it ‘easy to vote and hard to cheat,’ applying the lessons learned from conducting an election in the 2020 pandemic.”

Administrative rules and regulations.

Calls for primaries and elections, Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, Georgia Election Code, Dates of Primaries and Elections, § 183-1-8-.01.

Definition of vote, Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, Georgia Election Code, Returns of Primaries and Elections, § 183-1-15-.02.

Law reviews.

For article, “The Chevron Two-Step in Georgia’s Administrative Law,” see 46 Ga. L. Rev. 871 (2012).

For article on the 2019 amendment of this Code section, see 36 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 81 (2019).

For article, “SB 202: Revisions to Georgia’s Election and Voting Procedures,” see 38 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 105 (2021).