GREENSBORO, N.C. — If you're afraid you might be turned away at the polls because officials say you've already voted, don't worry.
This is where provisional ballots come into play.
We want to thank Denise Mannon who brought this to our attention.
She emailed in a question asking about her experience at the polls, and receiving a provisional ballot.
"I went to vote this morning. When I checked in they told me I showed in the system as having already voted. At the poll, I had to complete paperwork to submit a provisional ballot. How did this happen? Will my vote be counted," Mannon said.
Let's start with the basics.
What is a provisional ballot?
It is a fail-voting process to make sure no one is turned away at the polls.
A voter will get one when questions arise about their qualifications to vote, their eligibility to vote or their eligibility to vote a specific ballot style.
Provisional ballots give citizens the opportunity to vote, while questions about their status are worked out.
Why did I get a provisional ballot?
The State Board of Elections said there could be a number of reasons why you were given a provisional ballot.
Here are some of the examples:
- There's no record of your registration
- You moved and didn't report it
- You were registered, but it was canceled. It could be for a number of reasons like a recent move or felony conviction
- You don't have an acceptable ID
- You have an unrecognized address
- You're trying to vote for a political party that you're not affiliated with (this happens in primary elections)
- A jurisdiction dispute
- You've already voted
- If you vote during extended hours, you'll get a provisional ballot
What happens now? Will my vote be counted?
If you fall under one of those, this is how the voting process will work.
You'll be asked to go to the provisional ballot booth to fill out an application and ballot.
Once you're handed a provisional ballot by election officials, you'll complete it and return it. The County Board of Elections will start their research on your application and eligibility.
You'll get a pin number to check the status of your ballot, but it won't be available until ten days after the election.
Election officials will not open your ballot and count it until they approve your status.