AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – As you prepare to vote Tuesday, here’s everything you need to know before you head to the polls.

Who is there to guide you through the process?

Election officials will be present at each location to help answer any questions you may have about your ballot or voting equipment.

How to vote if you have to work on election day?

Georgia law requires your employer to give you up to two hours to vote on Election Day, but your employer is allowed to set them.

This does not apply to employees whose work hours begin at least two hours after the polls open or end at least two hours before the polls close.

They are also not required to pay you during these hours.

How to vote if you forget your photo ID on election day?

If you forget your photo ID, you can vote by provisional ballot. After that, you have 72 hours to provide identification so that your ballot can be counted and taken to your county registrar’s office.

Where and how can local voters identify their specific polling location?

Doss says many people wait until Election Day to find out where their voting location is, but he strongly encourages you not to do that.

Your voting location appears on your constituency map. If you don’t have one, you can call your county board of elections office to find out, or you can call the Secretary of State.

Several election leaders direct us to the state’s election pages – MyVote for Georgia page And SC votes for South Carolina.

By providing your name, county and date of birth, you will be able to access information for your district.

You may also have the option to verify a sample ballot.

What are the opening hours of polling stations and what is the exception if you are still queuing after the deadline?

Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for both states and as long as you are in line to vote by 7:00 p.m., you will be allowed.

Doss says the busiest times seem to be early in the morning, around lunch and after 5 p.m.

Will your mail-in ballot arrive on time?

Many of those who have requested mail-in ballots fear they won’t arrive in time, due to problems with the postal service and the storm.

Travis Doss, executive director of the Augusta-Richmond County Board of Elections, says they’re really concerned about mail-in ballots arriving on time and they’ve had to re-issue the ballots.

That’s why he strongly encourages you to vote in person if you can, because they’ve seen situations where they mailed in their ballot two weeks or more ago and voters still haven’t got it received.

As of Wednesday, Aiken County reported seeing more than 36,000 early voters and that doesn’t include mail-in ballots.

Richmond County says it has seen nearly 42,000 early voters.

What about postal voting for military personnel stationed abroad?

Dana Burden, director of the Aiken County Elections Office, says if you are on active duty and stationed overseas, you can receive your absentee ballot via email.

Doss says they will email you instructions, then you will go to the Secretary of State’s website and enter a password to access the ballot.

You still have time to do it. If you are on active duty, your deadline for your absentee ballot is extended by 15 days.

Doss says they sent 407 electronic ballots to military personnel and 80 physical ballots to military personnel.

As of Tuesday, they received 165 electronic ballots and 43 mailed ballots.

What will you need to bring to vote?

Voters must present one of these photo IDs when voting:

• Any valid state or federally issued photo ID, including a free ID card issued by your county registrar’s office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services.
• Georgian driving license, even if expired.
• A valid employee photo identification from any branch, department, agency or entity of the United States Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of the ‘State.
• Valid US Passport ID Card.
• A valid U.S. military photo ID containing a photo of the voter.
• Student photo identification card issued by a Georgia public college, university, or technical school.
• A valid tribal photo ID containing your photo.

Voters who are unable to provide photo identification may vote through a provisional ballot. They will need to provide a copy of their ID within three days of the election to their county’s board of elections and registration.

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