State law mandates that no voter should be turned away and no person shall be denied the option to vote using a provisional ballot.
“It’s fail-safe voting that allows people to vote then allows us to verify their eligibility after Election Day,” said Matthew Snyder, director of the Watauga County Board of Elections.
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections website, a provisional ballot is used when a voter’s qualifications and eligibility are questioned. This could mean the voter does not have their photo ID, is voting in the wrong precinct or has no record of registration.
The provisional ballot allows for no one to be turned away from the voting booths on Election Day and provides everyone an opportunity to vote even if their eligibility is questioned.
The provisional ballot requires a voter’s signature that they are voting in the county they are registered in, if a voter is not registered in Watauga County but votes provisionally, “that is subject to a class one felony,” Snyder said.
If a voter cannot cast a regular ballot, the help station at their polling place will provide a help referral form that explains the voter’s reason for needing to cast a provisional ballot. These help stations are located at polling places.
The help station will assist the voter in completing a provisional voting application and give the voter a provisional ballot and envelope. The ballot is completed privately and then should be sealed into the envelope provided and given back to the help station.
Provisional ballots are held aside because election officials will conduct research on the voter’s eligibility. The county board of elections will make the final determination on a voter’s eligibility based on their research.
“It’s a very procedural process to determine eligibility that the board goes through,” Snyder said.
Results are not finalized until all eligible provisional ballots are counted. If the provisional application is not approved the ballot stays sealed in the envelope.
After submitting the ballot, voters will receive a provisional identification number that can be used along with their date of birth to check the status of their provisional ballot. The status is not available until 10 days after the date of the election.
To check the status of a provisional vote, voters can use the provisional search on the NCSBE website. Voters can also call 919-814-0700 or 866-522-4723 to check the status of their ballot.
Provisional ballots provide an alternative voting option to allow voters the opportunity to exercise their right to vote even if there are complications on election day. For more information on what qualifies a voter to use a provisional ballot, visit the NCSBE’s website. Voters can check their registration status and assigned polling place through the NCSBE’s voter search tool.
