It was here where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. walked the grounds of Morehouse College and honed his voice, forming a legacy that transformed suffrage into enfranchisement. Yet, today, this very legacy risks being undermined by one of the simplest governmental hindrances: a change of address. For students attending Atlanta University Center (AUC) schools, the link between their civic right and their physical residence is being split by Georgia’s voter registration laws.
The requirement is simple: State law demands a voter’s registration precisely match their current physical residence. Moving from a previous hometown address, or from one AUC dorm to off-campus housing, is enough to invalidate a registration if it is not immediately updated.
The simple failure to change an address serves as an inadvertent form of suppression. While the state’s requirement is an attempt to ensure election integrity, for the college population it creates a barrier. The core issue is students, though dedicated to civic engagement, are unaware that their AUC address is not merely a mailing label一it is the legal nexus of their voice.
How to make your vote count
To abstain, or to be invalidated by a governmental error, is to yield control of the ground on which history was made. The future will reflect not what occurs when we merely remember our history, but when we also act on it.
Therefore, the stakes are immediate. For students in the critical District 11 areas (including Cascade, Langhorn, and Metropolitan Parkway SW), early voting for the runoff is scheduled for November 22–26, with Election Day scheduled for December 2.
Fortunately, the complexity of the law is offsetted by the clarity of the solution. Every student who is a registered Georgia voter and whose housing details have changed must update their address immediately. The process is simple, but the deadline is unforgiving.
- To update your registration online, you must possess a valid Georgia Driver’s License or State ID. Visit registertovote.sos.ga.gov to register now.
- If you do not have a Georgia ID, you will need the last four digits of your Social Security Number. To download and mail the official application, visit the Georgia Voter Registration Application PDF.
- Confirm your updated registration status and find your assigned polling location before the December 2 runoff. Visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page (MVP).
Every vote is a statement about the world we wish to inherit. Local elections determine funding for our schools, laws for our communities and who protects or restricts our rights. History has revealed what happens when we sit out. Now, our future will reflect what happens when we show up.
When we vote, we are actively building our future.
