Dawson County official walks voters through Georgia's My Voter Page

Britney Payne, election systems manager for the Dawson County Board of Elections, walked voters through Georgia's My Voter Page in a video tutorial, showing how to check registration, view sample ballots, request absentee ballots and track their status. "You will first go to mvp.sosga.gov," Payne said.

Payne opened the demonstration with basic login steps: enter your first initial, last name, the county where you are registered and your date of birth, then click Submit to view personal voter information. She pointed out page navigation links that jump to sections such as precinct card, sample ballot, polling place and absentee ballot services.

The site can email a precinct card that voters can download and print, and it displays sample ballots specific to the voter's current election, listing races, candidates and questions. Payne explained how to update registration information online by choosing Update Voter Information and clicking Edit to make changes.

The My Voter Page also lists polling places and hours for upcoming elections. Payne said Dawson County has one advanced (early) voting location at the Dawson County Board of Elections office at 96 Academy Avenue and that the county's absentee ballot drop box is in the Elections Office lobby and is open during advanced (early) voting hours.

On absentee ballots, Payne demonstrated the online absentee ballot application flow: download the completed application, sign it, and either upload a photo or scan of the application together with a photo of a photo ID to the county's absentee ballot specialist. "Here in Georgia, it is required that we have a pen and ink signature," she said. The video did not cite a specific statute; the elections office is the source for the requirement shown.

After requesting an absentee ballot, voters can subscribe to tracking notifications and choose text, phone call or email as the preferred contact method. Payne described the absentee ballot history fields the site shows, including request received date, ballot issue date and ballot receive date so a voter can monitor when their ballot was processed.

The My Voter Page also lists a voter's districts and elected officials and provides links to district maps. Payne invited voters who need help to contact the local elections office and identified the Dawson County registrar as Glenda Ferguson; the page includes the office website, phone, fax and mailing address though those details were not read aloud in full in the video.

Payne closed by urging viewers to bookmark the My Voter Page, check it before every election and share the tutorial to help neighbors. "We'll see you at the polls," she said.