Provisional Balloting Explained

Thanks for bringing up Provsional Ballots, Mr. Prince. Provisional Ballots are an important and often misunderstood part of our election process in Georgia. They serve as a safety net for voters who otherwise might be turned away because our records show that they are not qualified to vote, or they are unable to provide the required identification.

For example, if a voter thinks that he or she is registered to vote, but the Poll Worker is unable to locate his or her name on the Official List of Registered Voters, the Poll Worker is trained to offer the voter a Provisional Ballot.  If the Poll Worker neglects to do this, the voter has the right to request, and insist on, a Provisional Ballot. However, if the voter simply went to the wrong Polling Place, he or she will be instructed to go to the correct Polling Place and is not entitled to a Provisional Ballot.

Another example is if the voter arrived at the Polling Place without a photo ID. Of course, he or she has the option to leave the Polling Place and return at a later time the required photo ID; however, if the voter would rather go ahead and cast his or her ballot at that time, and provide our office the required photo ID later – the voter is entitled to a Provisional Ballot.

The Process for casting a Provisional Ballot is fairly simple. First, the Poll Manager will provide the voter with a small amount of additional paperwork, two envelopes, and a paper ballot.  After completing the paperwork, the voter will be allowed to use the blue privacy booth which is setup close to the voting machines to mark his or her ballot.  After the voter has completed the ballot, he or she first seals the ballot in a white privacy envelope to prevent those counting the ballots from being able to connect the voter’s selections with that individual voter.  Then, the voter will seal the white privacy envelope in a salmon colored provisional envelope that is marked with the voter’s name and precinct, and drop the envelope in a sealed ballot bag.  Before the voter leaves the polling place, the Poll Manager will provide the voter with instructions for the voter to determine whether or not that Provisional Ballot was counted.

On Election Night, the Poll Manager will return the sealed ballot bag to my office with the rest of their supplies.  Starting the day after the election, we begin the determine whether or not to count each provisional ballot.  If the voter was not on the Official List of Registered Voters, we use the information provided on the paperwork to attempt to determine why the voter’s name was missing.  As Mr. Prince pointed out, in many cases this is because of a minor technicality, or mistake made by my office.  If there is any way that we can add that voter’s name to the Official List within the bounds of the law, his or her name is added and that ballot is counted.  If we are unable to add his or her name for that election, in every case the name is added for the next election. 

If the voter was unable to provide a Photo ID on Election Day, the process is even simpler.  The voter has three days after election to provide my office a copy of one of the approved forms of Photo ID by fax, email, or in person.  If the voter provides us with his or her ID during this time period, the ballot will be counted.  If not, we will be forced to reject that ballot.

All approved ballots are counted and included in the overall vote totals at the Board of Elections and Voter Registration’s Certification Meeting.  This meeting normally takes place just after 5:00 PM the Friday directly after Election Day and is when the results of the election are announced to be official and complete.  For those who are unaware of this, until the board meets to certify the results, any results reported by my office or through any media outlet are considered unofficial and incomplete.  Starting after this meeting, any voter who cast a provisional ballot may use the instructions he or she was provided at the Polling Place to determine whether or not the ballot was counted, and if it wasn’t counted – why not.

I realize this process can be a little confusing, but the bottom line is this – unless you are being sent to your assigned Polling Place, a Poll Worker may not claim you are not allowed to vote because you do not possess the proper qualifications, without offering you a Provisional Ballot in order to provide my office the opportunity to make absolutely certain you are not being disenfranchised.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.