Provisional Ballots info.

[diva77]

This is from the CA SOS website, but the info. applies to every state:

https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/provisional-voting/

Free Access System

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) requires each state or local elections official to establish a "Free Access System," such as a toll-free telephone number for voters to call or an Internet website that voters can access free of charge, to ascertain if they voted a provisional ballot at the polls, whether or not their vote was counted, and, if it was not counted, the reason why it was not counted.

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Of course, with computerized voting machines, optiscans, and central tabulators, there's no way to tell whether your vote was counted as cast. Best strategy at this point is to VOTE in LANDSLIDE numbers (stating the obvious) to help offset machine algorithms, malfunctions, etc.

[rampartc]

1. provisional votes are not cast on the voting machine

i am an election official in louisiana but all states are covered under the 2002 law.

provisional votes are only cast for federal offices. there is a paper ballot, which is marked and sealed in an individual envelope. the envelope has a tracking number that the voter can use to determine the disposition of the ballot.

not all provisional ballots are counted. they are counted, or not, by the local election commission.

the best ways to vote are early at designated times and locations, or on election day at your neighborhood precinct.

[diva77]

2. Thanks for your input -- I should have included more detail with my statement

I meant in general, that any vote cast via a machine or on paper passed thru an optiscan or tabulated by computerized tabulator cannot be guaranteed to be counted as cast.

Are the provisionals (the ones that aren't thrown out) that you've dealt with usually hand-counted or are some run thru optiscans -- I'm sure it must vary by county in most states.

[rampartc]

3. that may vary

soon after the election the parish (or county) board of elections meets and hand counts provisional and absentee ballots.

each provisional ballot is considered individually. and may be challenged. if the voter has voted early, or at his precinct, or absentee is the common reason for a challenge (you can't vote twice!) we have had a few under age voters who are, of course, challenged.