What is a provisional ballot?

Were you given a provisional ballot at your polling place? Provisional ballots are a way to make sure that eligible citizens are guaranteed their right to vote even if there is a question about their eligibility. Provisional ballots give election workers a chance to double-check everything and ensure that minor administrative errors don’t keep eligible citizens from casting a ballot.

There are many reasons a voter may be asked to use a provisional ballot instead of a regular ballot. Perhaps their identity or eligibility cannot be immediately confirmed at the polling place. Maybe their name does not appear on the poll worker’s copy of the voter registration list, or the voter did not have the required ID, or they may be at the wrong voting location. In some states, voters may also be asked to cast a provisional ballot for other reasons.

When a voter casts a provisional ballot, it is set aside in a secrecy envelope. This ensures that the voter’s choices are kept secret while election officials double-check everything to make sure the voter is eligible to vote. As part of the checks, the voter may be asked to provide more information to confirm their identity and eligibility. The collection of additional information is called “ballot curing.” Each state has its own process and timeline for checking provisional ballots.

Provisional ballots are usually examined and counted, if eligible, after polls close—sometimes a day or a few days after Election Day. If a voter is eligible, provisional ballots will be counted in the official results.

For additional information:

• Center for Election Innovation & Research, “How a Ballot Becomes a Vote”
• Brennan Center for Justice, “Roadmap to the Official Count in the 2024 Election: Adjudicating and Counting Provisional Ballots“
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, “Post-Election Process Mapping”
• MIT Election Lab, “Provisional ballots”
• National Conference of State Legislatures, “Provisional Ballots”
• U.S. Election Assistance Commission, “EAC Best Practices: Provisional Voting”