What is a provisional ballot? Here’s what you need to know ahead of the 2024 election
What is a provisional ballot? Here’s what you need to know ahead of the 2024 election
Voters can request one when poll workers can’t confirm your name on the voter rolls or you forgot to bring proper government ID.
MACON, Ga. — According to the Georgia’s Secretary of State Office, provisional ballots are paper ballots provided to a voter when poll workers can’t locate their registration record on the rolls.
Bibb County Election’s Supervisor Thomas Gillon says some people forget to bring a proper form of ID, adding it’s a safety net when people aren’t able to complete a regular ballot.
“They can vote a provisional hand-marked ballot and then they have to bring it back and bring their ID back to the office by the end of that week if they want that ballot to be counted,” Gillon said.
Others are often cast by college students or folks registered in a different county. Gillon says if someone doesn’t update their address on a new registration form, they’ll have to fill out a provisional ballot and if a voter visits the wrong precinct on election day, they’ll be turned around.
But if its after 5 p.m., Gillon says they’ll be handed a provisional form.
“The presumption is you may not have time to get from where you are to your proper polling place,” Gillon said. “You only can do that after 5:00; if I show up at the wrong polling place at 9:00 in the morning and I should be across town or down the street. I have to go to my assigned polling place.”
He said if you vote at the wrong polls, you could be voting in the wrong races. So the elections office will copy your responses onto a correct ballot.
“If it’s a county wide or countrywide or statewide race, that’ll be the same in every ballot in the county and those will count,” Gillon said. “But if they vote for someone else’s county commissioner, that vote will not count.”
Elections offices have three days after election to prove the validity of your ballot; Gillon says normally there aren’t enough provisional votes to change election outcomes but they have to certify them the Monday after election day.
“So the numbers will change slightly because of the provisional ballots and overseas absentees and things; other ballots we have to the end of the week to take care of,” Gillon said.
Georgia’s Secretary of State’s office said your provisional ballot will count, if they can confirm you’re eligible.