Here's When Jimmy Carter's Absentee Vote Will Be Locked In

Mar. 15, 2025

Former President Jimmy Carter and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.Photo:Scott Cunningham/Getty; SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

Scott Cunningham/Getty; SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

Jimmy Carter’s absentee ballot was dropped off at a county courthouse near his Georgia hometown this week, which means his vote is on its way to getting locked in.

And while Jimmy, 100, fulfilled his self-proclaimed wish of living long enough to vote for Harris, there’s one more step before the vote is secured.

After an absentee voter’s authenticity has been confirmed, their ballot is removed from the outer envelope and set aside to be counted on Election Day.

“Once a ballot is removed from the envelope there is no way to trace a ballot back to an individual voter,” Robert Sinners, a spokesperson for the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office,previously explained to PEOPLE.

That’s the moment it becomes a done deal.

Jimmy Carter speaks at the House of Lords on February 3, 2016 in London.Eddie Mullholland-WPA Pool/Getty

Eddie Mullholland-WPA Pool/Getty

After confirming that Jimmy’s ballot had been sent in, Chip told theJournal-Constitution, “It was a good morning for him and good for us that he got it done.”

Chip also reaffirmed that his father “absolutely” voted for Harris, 59, saying, “He’s never voted for a Republican in his life.”

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Georgia is a key swing state in the 2024 presidential election, carrying 16 electoral votes. State polling shows Harris in a tight race with former PresidentDonald Trump, who narrowly lost there in 2020.

Ahead of Jimmy’s 100th birthday on Oct. 1, his grandson Jason, 49, told theAtlanta Journal-Constitutionthat the former president was “only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris.”

Jimmy, who served in the White House from 1977 to 1981, is the longest-living U.S. president and has been in hospice care since February 2023. His wife,Rosalynn, died inNovember 2023after she was diagnosed with dementia.

Jason spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August about why he and Jimmy were supporting Harris, whom he said “carries my grandfather’s legacy.”

“She knows what is right, and she fights for it,” he said. “She understands that leadership is about service, not about selfishness. That you can show strength and demonstrate decency. And that you can get a whole lot more done with a smile than with a scowl.”

source: people.com