Secretary of State Kemp Announces Presidential Primary Absentee Voting Options for Georgia’s Military and Overseas Citizens

Will Work with Major General Jim Butterworth, Georgia National Guard, to Promote Voting Opportunities



Atlanta – Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced today that beginning Saturday, January 21, 2012, the state’s military and overseas citizens can access their absentee ballot electronically for the Tuesday, March 6, 2012 presidential primary. Kemp also announced that he and Major General Jim Butterworth, Adjutant General, Georgia National Guard, will conduct a joint outreach and education effort to promote voting opportunities for military personnel and their families.



One portion of the outreach and education effort will include a tour of Georgia military bases by Secretary Kemp on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, where he will meet with base leaders and military personnel.



Secretary Kemp also created two tutorial videos that specifically address absentee ballot voting options for Georgia’s military and overseas citizens. Click here to access these videos at the Secretary of State’s website

Secretary Kemp said, “Georgia is keeping its promise to our overseas citizens and the men and women who fight to protect our Constitution and our freedoms, by protecting their voting rights and providing them additional opportunities to vote and fully participate in our elections.”

Major General Butterworth stated, “I applaud Secretary Kemp’s efforts to educate our Guardsmen on how to exercise their right to vote both at home and when deployed overseas. The ballot box is among the truest symbols of our democracy and I will always encourage our men and women in uniform to participate in this sacred process.”

To access a presidential primary ballot electronically, Georgia’s military and overseas citizens must request an absentee ballot from their county election office, be sure to indicate a political party preference, and check the appropriate box to receive their ballot electronically. They can then log on to a secure website, print and vote their ballot, and then mail it back to their county election office. Additionally, military and overseas voters may receive access to absentee ballots for an entire year’s election cycle, removing the need to submit multiple ballot requests. Georgia’s military and overseas citizens can request their absentee ballot on the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page website at http://www.sos.ga.gov/mvp

Additionally, the Secretary of State’s Elections Division website features a “Military and Overseas Voters” page that includes:

·Who qualifies as a military or overseas voter, and how to request and return an absentee ballot;

·Downloadable absentee ballot request forms;

·Contact information for your county election office; and

·Important links to state and federal voting information.

Major General Jim Butterworth has been the Adjutant General of Georgia since September 2011. In this position, he reports directly to the Governor with responsibility for over 14,000 personnel of the Georgia Department of Defense – which includes the Georgia Army National Guard, the Georgia Air National Guard, and the Georgia State Defense Force. The Georgia Department of Defense provides ready and relevant military forces to the Combatant Commanders, and with the consent of the Governor provides command and control and capabilities to support homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities.

Brian Kemp has been Secretary of State since January, 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives.