National Voter Registration Day: Getting ready to vote

Important dates you need to know
National Voter Registration Day is aimed at preparing voters to be ready for the upcoming election cycle
Lil Yachty performs for Atlanta Public School (APS) students at Home Depot Backyard. It was part of the New Georgia Project's National Voter Registration Day events. Photo credit New Georgia Project

Voter rights advocates fanned out across metro Atlanta today as part of National Voter Registration Day. Rapper Lil Yachty performed for students at the Home Depot's Backyard outside Mercedes Benz Stadium. It was part of New Georgia Project's (NGP) voter registration events.

Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day
Voter registration at Kennesaw State University Photo credit New Georgia Project

“Voting connects young people to the future -- through their vote and participation, they can design the world they want to live in and the one we all share,'' said Keron Blair, Chief Organizing and Field Officer at NGP.

NGP is kicking off a week-long “Certified Registered Voter” voter engagement campaign to register, inform and mobilize voters to cast their ballots in the 1,500 municipal elections this November in Georgia.

National Voter Registration Day is aimed at preparing voters for the upcoming election cycle
Georgia Stand-UP gathers at Woodruff Park in Atlanta to kickoff its National Voter Registration events and to announce the launch of its voter resource the Orange Book Photo credit Georgia Stand-UP

The upcoming election on November 2 will be the first following the passage of a sweeping new voter law in Georgia, S.B. 202, which voting rights advocates say "suppresses the vote" and "makes efforts to inform and mobilize voters more critical than ever."

Georgia STAND-UP CEO Deborah Scott says "America cannot claim to be a fully-realized democracy until every citizen has an equal opportunity to exercise the voting franchise. That's our purpose, our mission, and our commitment."

Scott adds “They are trying everything to deny folks access to the vote — special identification, tricks with mail-in ballots, cuts to early voting, and reduced polling places. Even giving a drink of water to someone who has lined up for hours to exercise their franchise is not allowed. But, we will still register, we will still vote, and we will still win.”

Along with voter registration efforts, Georgia STAND-UP is also launching the Orange Book, which Scott says is a free Georgia voter care resource.

There are several important election dates:

OCT 4 — Deadline to Register to Vote ● OCT 11 — Early Voting/Absentee Voting Begins ● OCT 16 — Mandatory Saturday Voting ● OCT 22 — Last Day to Submit Absentee Ballot Application ● OCT 24 — Optional Sunday Voting ● NOV 2 — General Election / Special Election

Being convicted of a felony or declared mentally imcompetent disqualifies someone from registering to vote.

Featured Image Photo Credit: New Georgia Project