Provisional voting

If your name is not on the voter list at your polling place or vote center, you have the right to vote a provisional ballot.

What is a provisional ballot?

A provisional ballot is a regular ballot that is placed in a special envelope prior to being put in the ballot box.

Who casts a provisional ballot?

Provisional ballots are ballots cast by voters who believe they are registered to vote even though their names are not on the official voter registration list at the polling place or vote center.

Vote by mail voters may need to cast provisional ballots if the voter wants to vote in person at a polling place or vote center, but did not receive their ballot or does not have their ballot with them.

Will my provisional ballot be counted?

Your provisional ballot will be counted after elections officials have confirmed that you are registered to vote in that county and you did not already vote in that election.

You may vote a provisional ballot at any polling place or vote center in the county in which you are registered to vote, however, only the elections contests you are eligible to vote for will be counted.

How can you check the status of your provisional ballot?

Alternatively, every voter who casts a provisional ballot has the right to find out from their county elections official if the ballot was counted and, if not, the reason why it was not counted.

Back to the Top