Pennsylvania Provisional Voting

Provisional ballots are counted 7 days after Election Day.

You are provided the opportunity to cast a provisional ballot if:

• You appear to vote and claim to be properly registered and eligible to vote in the election district but your name does not appear on the district register (poll book) and elections officials cannot determine your registration.
• Regardless of whether your name appears on the general register, you do not have an approved form of identification when you appear to vote in an election district.
• An election official asserts that you are not eligible to vote. (In a primary election this includes if you claim to be registered for a particular political party, but the district register indicates you are registered as a member of another political party.)

You are required to vote by provisional ballot if:

• Your voting as a result of a Federal or State court order.
• You are voting as a result of an order extending the time established for closing the polls by state law that is in effect 10 days before an election.

If you vote on a provisional ballot, you will be asked to:

• Complete and sign the provisional ballot affidavit on the back of the provisional ballot affidavit envelope.
• Complete a provisional ballot in an accessible and private area of the polling place.
• Seal the completed provisional ballot in a secrecy envelope.
• Seal the secrecy envelope in the provisional ballot affidavit envelope.
• Sign the front of the provisional ballot affidavit envelope.
• Return the sealed provisional ballot affidavit envelope to a polling place election official.
• Receive your provisional ballot identification receipt.

If you already voted by absentee ballot for this election, you will be asked to cancel your absentee ballot. Within seven days after the election, the county board of elections will examine the provisional ballot to determine the validity of your completed provisional ballot. At least seven days after the election, using the information provided to you on the provisional ballot identification receipt, call 1-877-VOTES-PA or visit the department of state. Provide your provisional ballot identification number. You will be told whether your provisional ballot was counted, partially counted or not counted. If your provisional ballot was not counted, you will be told why.