What is a Provisional Ballot?
A provisional ballot is an alternative voting method for a voter whose eligibility is in question or cannot be verified at their polling site. Provisional ballots help protect against voter fraud and are governed by state law (see Florida Statute 101.048 and Rule 1S-2.037 of the Florida Administrative Code for more information). There are numerous reasons for someone needing to vote a provisional ballot; however some of the most common reasons include not having proper voter identification, not being registered to vote, or being at the incorrect polling place on Election Day.
Voters who vote a provisional ballot do not scan their ballots into the vote tabulation machine. Instead, provisional ballots are placed in secure envelopes to be delivered to the Supervisor of Elections office for further processing. Every provisional ballot voter is provided with the following Notice of Rights.
Canvassing Provisional Ballots
NOTICE OF RIGHTS FOR PROVISIONAL BALLOT VOTERS (F.S. 101.048)
If you have voted a provisional ballot, a decision will be made by the election canvassing board if you are an eligible voter in the jurisdiction and whether or not your vote can be counted in this election.
If this is a primary election, you should contact the Supervisor of Elections office immediately to confirm that you are registered and can vote in the general election.
You have the right to provide written evidence supporting your eligibility to vote to the Supervisor of Elections, no later than 5:00 p.m. of the second day following the election.
If you voted a provisional ballot because your Florida driver’s license card number, Florida state identification card number or the last four digits of your social security card number could not or has not yet been verified, bring your card in person or provide a copy via mail, fax or email to the Supervisor by the deadline.
If you voted this ballot solely because you did not have the proper photo and signature identification, you do not have to provide any further evidence, provided you are otherwise registered and entitled to vote in the precinct where you cast your ballot, and the signature on your ballot certificate and affirmation or the provisional ballot cure affidavit matches the signature on your voter registration or precinct register.
You have the right to cure a signature deficiency if your signature on the certificate is missing or does not match the one on the voter’s registration record or the precinct register. The form for the signature cure affidavit is available at the following:
You have the right to find out no later than 30 days following the election if your ballot was counted, and if not, the reason why. You may check the status of your provisional ballot by calling (850) 892-8112 and provide the tracking number, or using the provisional ballot status form below: